Fire Away
by Nadia Snape
Summary: "Who cares? Nobody did, nobody does-" "I will, Potter." Severus' concerned black eyes met Harry's glassy green ones. After the death of Sirius, Harry is barely hanging on the edge. Will Severus be able to fix the pieces of the Golden Boy? No Slash. Sixth Year.
1. Back To Hogwarts

_**Chapter 1**_

 **A/N: Hello people! This is my second story and I am hoping it will be a good one! It's ultimately a Snape adopts Harry fanfic. There will be no slash. And it contains scenes of self-harming and abuse, be warned!**

 **Read my other story,** _ **'Vindicans Vindicabo'**_ **if you like my work!**

 _ **DISCLAIMER: I do not own any characters or this beautiful universe of Harry Potter. This all belongs to J K Rowling.**_

 **Chapter 1: Back to Hogwarts**

It was a pleasant night. Harry was leaning on his window sill, trying to lip read a muggle daily soap playing in the opposite house. Harry decided that he envied that family as he watched the father pull his daughter closer to him. His eyes found the mother who was running a hand through her son's hair as he lay with his head on her lap. The children were 2 years younger than Harry.

Harry knew them from the park where they played every evening. The family erupted in sudden laughter and Harry frowned.

Not to look like a stalker or a creep, Harry reluctantly diverted his eyes from the house and towards the sky. He was going back to Hogwarts tomorrow. He was going back home.

Harry smiled at the thought. His eyes then turned dark as he remembered the last year.

 _Sirius…_

Harry's only chance at having a real family was ripped away from him. He brushed a tear that had escaped his eyes and breathed in deeply in the fresh air.

Uncle Vernon had not gone even a tad bit easy on him this time, rather, he was more aggressive and rough. Harry was not a stranger to pain, but when his uncle started beating him around 2 years ago, his heart couldn't take it. His own aunt just smirked at him when he used to come downstairs after a beating from his Uncle.

This summer was no different.

' _At least he didn't do it every day._ ' Harry thought with a sigh.

His back hurt due to all the welts and open wounds and he clenched his fist to control the pain.

Over the summer, Harry had discovered a new technique to bear his physical and emotional pain. He looked at his wrists where thin pale lines stood prominently in the moon light.

The cuts distracted him from the pain of losing Sirius and Uncle Vernon's belt. He knew what he was doing was wrong and self-destructing, but who would care for him? Nobody.

Not even Dumbledore. His friends would, but he was not sure of that after he had learned that Ron and Hermione had started dating over the summer. He knew he was not their first priority anymore.

Maybe Remus would care. But the man himself was too broken after losing his best friend to comfort Harry.

Harry suddenly realized that he was all alone in the world. The thought scared him.

He looked at the stars one last time before moving towards his bed.

The opposite house was quiet. The TV was turned off and the kids were sent to bed.

Harry's stomach rumbled. He had not eaten in 2 days.

He blocked the hunger by pressing the cuts on his wrists. The sharp sting was comforting.

He drifted off to a fitful sleep, silently wishing that all of this turns out to be a dream and he would wake up in the morning to find his mother making breakfast and his father discussing Quidditch with Sirius and Remus.

If only dreams could come true.

/

"Try not to come back." Vernon muttered darkly as he watched Harry's small frame struggling to get his trunk out of the boot. Harry had send Hedwig to Hogwarts 2 nights ago and her cage was currently sitting beside his foot.

He hauled the trunk out with a grunt and panted as he closed the boot. He could see Vernon's sneer as the man, without a backward glance, rode away on the busy streets of London.

Harry couldn't help the small smile that broke out on his face when he entered platform 9¾.

The Hogwarts Express stood proudly on the tracks, huffing out small puffs of smoke. A small ball of excitement burst in his stomach as he thought of the coming year at Hogwarts. He scanned the crowd for his friends from where he stood on the sides. Mothers were crying as their children hugged them and fathers wore a proud expression on their faces. It brought a feeling of jealousy in him but he was quick to disregard it.

' _You cannot miss what you never had.'_ He thought stoically.

A large group of red heads made Harry grin and he started walking towards them.

"Harry! Oh dear! I swear you get smaller and smaller every summer." Mrs. Weasely commented with a disapproving look at his small frame before hugging him tightly.

"Good to see you too, Mrs. Weasely." Harry croaked out as he was sandwiched between her arms and her body.

"How are you doing, mate?" Ron asked him as he gave him a brotherly hug.

"Great. Who won? Falmouth Falcons or Chudley Cannons?" Harry inquired.

Ron snorted at his question.

"Who do you think? Cannons of course! World's greatest team." He said with a dreamy look on his face.  
"Yeah, our Ronnikins is marrying the Captain of the Cannons next year." Harry snickered as Ron glared at the twins who were making snogging faces at him.

"How's the store coming along?" Harry asked them.

"Awesome. We already made a lot of progress over the summer. All thanks to our secret investor." Fred whispered the last part and George winked at him. Harry grinned at them.

"It's good to see you, Harry." Arthur said and patted Harry on the back. Harry sucked in a gasp as his wounds stung and forced out a smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasely. It's always great to see you too." He said in a strained voice.

Fortunately, no one noticed as the Hogwarts Express suddenly gave a loud whistle.

"Alright, off with you lot!" Molly said and her eyes glistened as they boarded the Express.

"Write to us! You too Harry!" She said with a stern look towards him.

"We'll keep you updated about the store!" The twins yelled and waved at them as the Express left the platform. Ginny went over to her friends while Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in the last compartment.

Harry excused himself to go over to the washroom where he put a glamour charm on his wrists; Vernon was clever enough to not damage his face or any other revealing part but Harry's chest and back were full of welts and bruises.

He entered the compartment to find Ron and Hermione sitting too close than he would have liked.

"I see you two are getting along quite well." He smirked at them.

Hermione blushed and Ron gave him a sheepish smile.

"Do you want me to go…"

"NO! Harry!" Hermione reached out and hit him lightly on his arm as he grinned.

/

Hogwarts was as beautiful as ever. The excitement Harry had felt on his first ever look at Hogwarts in his first year, never left him. Hermione and Ron had gone off for prefect duties, so he accompanied Ginny and Neville to the castle.

He met his friends inside the Great hall and sat beside them.

"Bloody hell, Snape looks more murderous than ever." Ron commented. Harry glanced at the said professor and sure enough Snape had a terrifying glare etched onto his face. Their eyes locked for a moment before Snape sneered at him and looked away.

"Are you going to apologize to him?" Hermione asked from opposite. Ron, who was drinking Pumpkin juice spluttered it over the table.

"What? Why would _Harry_ apologize?" He asked as he cleaned up his mess with a quick spell.

"He looked into his _pensive_ , Ron! That's private!" Hermione said and looked at Harry. "So, are you?"

Harry took a sip of his own juice before shrugging.

"I don't know." He said flatly.

Hermione huffed and Ron gave her a victorious look before patting Harry's arm.

The next half an hour was spent sorting the new first years who, as Ron so wisely phrased, looked like they peed their pants.

10 new Gryffindors were welcomed into the house. As Dumbledore clapped his hands, Harry noticed his one hand wrapped up in bandage and frowned.

"Wonder what's wrong with Dumbledore's hand." Hermione voiced his thoughts.

"Maybe someone cursed his Lemon Drops' bowl." Ron said as he shoved chicken in his mouth.

"I place my bets on McGonagall." Harry grinned at him.

"Nah, it's most likely Snape from the way he's talking and glaring at the old man." Ron said.

"Stop it you two!" Hermione admonished them. "It might actually be serious."

Ron rolled his eyes and focused on his meal as Hermione proceeded to give him a lecture on insensitivity. Harry tuned them out and pushed his food around the plate. He thought he would be hungry after not eating for a few days but he was surprised to find that he could not stomach more than 5 bites of his meal.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice snapped him out of his trance.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I asked if you are alright. You are just pushing your food around." She looked at him with concern.

"I am just not hungry, I guess." He said and pushed away his almost untouched plate.

"It must be the journey. It tires you out." She said understandingly, but her eyes never left their concern.

"Yeah, definitely that." Harry said and finished his juice. "If you both don't mind, I'll head up to the dormitory, I need sleep." He said and faked a yawn.

"Yeah mate, go on. As it is we have to escort the little monsters, so we'll have to wait for them to finish."

"Ron, they are not little monsters! You were a first year too!" Hermione scolded him.

"Yeah, but I am not anymore, so I have the right to call them that!" Harry shook his head at both of them before departing.

"Potter." Draco Malfoy greeted from behind him as he ascended the stairs.

"Malfoy." Harry greeted back.

"I see you are not with your little fan club today." Draco sneered.

"I can say the same for you, Malfoy." Harry said tiredly. He was in no mood for a verbal fight with the Slytherin.

"What's wrong with you?" Draco asked oddly.

"Why do you care?" Harry said and took a right turn. "Nobody does." He muttered mostly to himself, not realizing that Malfoy had heard him.

/

"Harry! Wake up! We are going to be late for breakfast!" Ron said as he shook his shoulder.

Harry groaned and turned to his side. He had not slept well, nightmares plagued his sleep every night. He had finally fallen into a peaceful slumber at almost 4:30 in the morning.

"You go on, I'll be there shortly." He said sleepily.

Ron gave him a worried look before going away.

After 5 minutes, when everyone had left, Harry got up and winced as his back protested. He took out his nicely ironed school robes and slipped into the bathroom. He was glad no one was there. He inspected his chest and back which supported blue and black bruises and some red angry welts. Harry sighed and grabbed a jar of Healing salve from the Medicine cabinet before applying it to all reachable parts. He knew that the salve was of level one and won't do him much good, but it would still help him get through the day. He quickly dressed himself before grabbing his clothes.

As he was putting his pajamas in his trunk, he caught sight of the broken mirror Sirius had given him. Harry gulped as he took it out. A small spot of dried blood could be spotted on the edge of the small piece of mirror.

Harry's hand shook as he held it. The urge to hurt himself intensified as the thoughts about Sirius invaded his mind.

He growled before pulling his sleeves up and quickly cutting his hands twice.

He breathed hard as he saw two lines of blood appear on his wrist.

' _He died because of me.'_ He thought as he put his hand under the cold flow of water in the bathroom's wash basin. It stung a bit, but Harry welcomed the pain. After putting his glamours back on, Harry grabbed his bag and went to the Great Hall, his mirror lay deep inside his robe pocket.

Hermione handed him his timetable as he sat down beside Ron and he muttered a quick _'thanks'_ in return.

"We have Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs first thing today. No DADA and Potions till tomorrow." Ron said to particularly no one.

Harry grabbed a slice of bread and buttered it before nibbling on it and perused his timetable.

"Did you hear? We got a new teacher for DADA." Seamus said from the side.

"We get that every year, Seamus." Ron snorted him.

"Who's teaching?" Hermione asked.  
"I don't know." Seamus shrugged. "He or she wasn't there for the feast yesterday."

Just then, Hedwig swooped down towards Harry and brought a large parcel with her. Harry gave her a piece of bacon and a small pat before she flew off.

Hermione raised an eyebrow as he opened his parcel.

"I didn't have time to go to Diagon Alley in the holidays." Harry explained as he pulled out his new books. Hermione inspected them and frowned.

"Harry, you don't have Potions in these. I am pretty sure you were accepted in the class. You got an 'O' in your OWL's didn't you?" She asked him. Harry had developed a sudden interest in Potion last year, much to Hermione's excitement and Ron's chagrin.

"Yeah. Flourish and Botts were out of them. They will owl it next week when they get a fresh stock." He said. "You are in Potions too?" He looked at Ron.

"Nah…Snape is a git." He said as a matter of fact. "I am happy without Potions."

Harry finished his bread and stuffed his books inside his bag.

"We should go, or we'll be late." Hermione said and the trio stood up and left for their first class.

/

Severus rubbed his eyes as he felt a headache coming on. It was not even lunch and already 4 students were injured due to poor potion making skills.

' _Bloody Ravenclaws.'_ He thought as he summoned a potion for himself. He was glad he had a free lecture before lunch and settled down on his office sofa with a book in his hands.

The floo roared to life and Albus stepped out.

"Rough morning, Severus?" He asked, too cheerfully for Severus' taste.

"4 cauldrons, Albus. 4 bloody cauldrons. He said and sat up straight to put his book down.

"First years are always like that, Severus." Albus chuckled. "Ah…I knew you always had a love for Muggle Literature." Albus said as he inspected Severus' copy of ' _The Tale of two cities.'_

"It is for leisure. What brings you here?" He asked and conjured two cups of tea, handing one to the old man.

"Just checking." Albus smiled and rubbed his darkened hand unconsciously.

"Are you taking the potion I gave you?" Severus narrowed his eyes at the Headmaster.

"I am, Severus." Albus assured him. "Although I am not sure if it will work." He said and looked at his hand sadly.

"It will." Severus said firmly and sipped his tea.

"Did you see Harry?" Albus asked him.

"No. He will grace my classroom with his presence tomorrow." Severus said snidely. "Although I would prefer if it were never, but one cannot have everything."

"He was curious." Albus said.

"Don't you dare defend him, Albus." Severus said angrily. "He _knew_ what was in there, and yet he violated my privacy. If it were up to me, I would have…" Severus took a deep breath to calm his growing anger at the boy.

"Expelled him?" Albus asked calmly.

"Killed him." Severus hissed out.

Albus laughed softly.

"He is a good boy if you look past his walls. Walls that you yourself built."

"If you are referring to his Potter genes, don't bother. I think I will keep those walls up." Severus said.

"He needs Occlumency." Albus stated casually.

"He needs _discipline_. He needs _limits_. Without that, he will never _learn_ Occlumency." Severus countered.

Albus sighed and sat back, scrutinizing the young man before him.

"What?" Severus snapped at him.

"Nothing." Albus said with a smile and stood up. "Well, I have paperwork to do. I will see you at dinner, Severus." He said and disappeared in the floo.

Severus started at the floo for a minute before putting his legs back on the sofa and resuming with his reading.

However, He closed the book with snap before throwing it on the table when he couldn't concentrate on it anymore.

' _Bloody Albus and his Potter talks.'_ He thought and started to prepare for his next class.

 **A/N: I haven't given much thought to this story, and nor do I know how long it will be, but I hope you like it.**


	2. Apologies

**A/N: Whoa! I am amazed at the response to this story. Thank you all for adding this story to your Alert/Favourite list, and for reviewing!**

 **Here's the second chapter!**

 **CHAPTER 2: Apologies**

"It's probably for the first time since fourth year that I am looking forward to this class. I hope whoever it is, won't disappoint us like last year." Ron said as the trio trudged upstairs towards the classroom with their class.

Harry chuckled at him and patted his back.

"You're not alone." He said.

"Really, you two." Hermione breathed. "I think whoever it is will do good, you will see." She said.

Ron snorted.

"I would gladly believe that when Voldemort joins the light side. Don't you remember the previous teachers, Hermione? Except Remus, of course." He said.

The DADA classroom was totally transformed from a pink hut to something resembling to a decent battle room. The curtains were closed and only small lamps were lit long the walls.

The Gryffindors took the left side of the classroom while the Slytherins occupied the right.

A man entered the room from the front entrance to his office. With a flick of his wand, the curtains were drawn and sunlight entered the room.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were surprised to see who it was.

"Remus?" Harry said out loud before grinning. Remus smiled back before winking at them.

"I see half of my class is not so happy to see me." Remus grinned at the groaning Slytherins. "Nevertheless, I would say I am better than the pink toad you had last year." That brought out some chuckles from even the Slytherins. "Let's begin, shall we?" He clapped his hands and started his lecture.

Harry was internally dancing with joy at the prospect of having Remus at school with him.

The class ended with Remus not assigning any homework, which everyone was grateful for.

"I will see you on Thursday." He said and dismissed them.

Harry, Hermione and Ron stayed behind as the rest of the class went out.

"Remus I can't believe this! Why didn't you tell me?" Harry said as he hugged the older man.

"I wanted to surprise you." Remus replied and hugged him back.

"It's good to have you back, Professor Lupin." Hermione piped.

"Yeah, you were the best teacher we ever had." Ron said.

"Thank you, Hermione and Ron." Remus said, his hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry's face suddenly fell as he looked down.

"Remus I… I am sorry for Si-" He was cut off by Remus patting his shoulder.

"Harry, why don't you come down for tea today, after your classes. We'll talk then." He said. Harry noticed that his eyes held nothing but concern and love, and he sighed in relief. He wasn't mad at him. Or he was a really good actor.

"I would like that." Harry nodded before following his friends out to their next class, Potions.

"Best of luck, mate." Ron said and grinned at Harry's glare before going off towards the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Don't listen to him, Harry. Professor Snape will be good to you, you have an 'O' in Potions. And you have done your reading from my book, there's no possible reason for him to be mad at you." Hermione said.

Harry gave her a confused look.

"I am not sure if you are being sarcastic or you forgot about the pensive incident." He said.

"Well I told you to apologize, it will clear your conscience." Hermione said wisely as they joined their peers outside the Potions classroom. Malfoy gave Harry the middle finger but Harry just ignored him, confusing the blonde even more than ever.

Harry sighed at Hermione's words and entered the classroom.

Snape ignored Harry for the most part, for which Harry was grateful, but also a little hurt.

He stalled a bit after class and gave Hermione a nod to show that he was taking her advice. Hermione beamed at him before going outside.

"What do you want, Potter? More of my memories?" Severus spat at him when the last student had left.

Harry bit his lip before looking up at his teacher.

"I…uh…I wanted to…" He stammered.

"Speak Potter or leave. I don't have all day to listen to your _eloquent_ words." Severus said sharply.

"I wanted to apologize." Harry said quickly. "For… what I did last year, and…it was wrong and I shouldn't have…looked."

Severus raised his eyebrow at the boy.

"I also want to apologize for…for my father." Harry said softly and looked down. "It was wrong, what he did. I always idealized him as a great student but after seeing that…" Harry took a deep breath. "I am sorry for what he did to you and I am sorry for looking in your pensive, sir. I hope you will accept my apology." He finished and looked at Snape who was still looking at him with a disgusted expression but Harry could make out some changes.

"I don't need your pity for what your father did, Potter." Severus said after a minute. "Get to class." He said and with a swish of his robes, went into his office.

Harry sighed and went outside where Ron and Hermione were waiting for him.

"Why would you do that Harry?" Ron asked him. He was apparently waiting outside for the class to finish and was filled in by Hermione.

"Because I know it was wrong, and my father was wrong too." Harry said in a small voice. Hermione took his hand as a gesture of comfort.

"Did he accept it?" She asked him. Harry shook his head.

"Ungrateful git." Ron sneered. "You don't need his forgiveness, Harry."

"You did your part, Harry." Hermione said and looked at him. "It's up to him whether he wants to act like an adult and accept your apology or act like a child who holds grudges." She shrugged.

"That is probably the most insulting thing that has come out of your mouth about a professor." Ron said to her with pride.

"Shut up, Ron." Hermione said before pulling Harry towards their next class.

/

Severus slammed his hand on Albus' desk and the old man blinked up at him.

"Severus." He greeted.

"What did you say to Potter?" He demanded.

"Severus I-"

"Don't you lie to me, Dumbledore." Severus yelled.

"I assure you Severus, I haven't spoken with Harry since the school started. What is all this about?" Albus asked him with concern.

Severus narrowed his eyes at him and scrutinized his face. After a few moments, Severus huffed and fell down ungracefully in the chair in front of Albus' desk.

"Potter stayed after class today." He said and rubbed his face.

"I am not following, Severus." Albus said.

"Potter stayed after class to…apologize for his behavior last year." He said.

Albus' eyes twinkled.

"Isn't that good?" He asked Severus.

" _Good_?! He thinks I can forgive him for watching the most _horrifying_ and the most _private_ part of my life without permission!? He is sorely mistaken then!" Severus yelled.

"Calm down, Severus. Was the boy sincere in his apology?" Albus asked him.

Severus thought about it for a moment.

Was he? Severus had looked into his eyes and had only seen regret and sorrow. Maybe he was.

Severus just shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Think about it, Severus." Albus said and returned to his paperwork, leaving the younger man lost in his own thoughts.

After a few minutes, Severus sighed and stood up. Albus didn't look up, but he was aware of the moments.

"Next Monday, at 7, my office. If he doesn't even _try_ to learn this time, Albus, I won't be responsible for my actions." Severus said and moved towards the door.

"Thank you, Severus." Albus said when he opened the door.

"Don't thank me yet." Severus muttered as he left the office, leaving behind a happy old man. Albus took a lemon drop from his bowl and popped it in his mouth in victory.

/

Harry literally ran out of Transfiguration making McGonagall scowl at him. He was too eager to see Remus to care about her right now.

"I will see you at dinner!" He yelled at Ron and Hermione before running off in the direction of Remus' classroom.

Slightly out of breath, he knocked softly on the door.

"Come in, Harry!" Remus called from inside and Harry entered.

"Let's go into my quarters, shall we?" Remus beckoned him towards a door behind the desk.

Remus' quarters were pretty bare, there was a fireplace, a sofa set, a coffee table and a corridor which probably led to his bedroom. A small kitchen was situated in the right side of the living room along with a dining table.

"Have a seat, I'll call for tea and some sandwiches." Remus said. Harry looked around before putting his bag at his feet and sitting heavily on the sofa.

"I know there isn't much in these quarters, but it works for me." Remus smiled at him and brought a tray with food.

Soon they were sipping tea and talking.

"So, how are classes? I heard you developed a sudden likeness for Potions last year." Remus commented.

"I did. I have no idea why." Harry shrugged. "Snape's a good teacher, but he hates me."

"I would say the otherwise, but I would be lying." Harry chuckled at his words.

"I apologized to him today." Harry said after a while. "About looking into his pensive."

Remus nodded at him.

"That's good. You did violate his privacy."

"I also…apologized for dad's behavior towards him during school." Harry said softly.

Remus put down his cup and looked at him.

"That was not your fault, Harry. That was strictly between James and Severus and me and Sirius. You didn't have to apologize." Remus said seriously.

"But he hates me because of that! He thinks I'm just like my father! I am _not_ like dad, Remus! I don't bully people!" Harry cried. "I am sorry, but dad was downright cruel with Snape, and so were you both."

Remus sighed sadly.

"We were young and stupid, Harry. We didn't know the consequences of our action then. I have apologized to Severus a lot of times, but I know I am late. He might never forgive me, he's not a forgiving person, but regardless of that he makes me Wolfsbane every month. He is not a bad man. Do you think It's easy to see him every day and relive all those stupid things we did to him? It hurts to think about it now, Harry." Remus rubbed his face with his hands.

"Do you think he will forgive me?" Harry asked as he looked into his teacup.

"Frankly, I don't know. He might, you are one of his top students after all." Remus smirked at Harry glare.

"He ignores me in class. At least I brew my potion right, that doesn't give him any reason to humiliate me." Harry shrugged.

"Don't worry, Harry. He _is_ a git sometimes." Remus said and laughed with the younger boy.

They talked a bit before Sirius' issue came up. Harry's eyes filled with tears and he sniffed before swiping a hand over his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault, Harry. Sirius went there on his own." Remus said, his voice thick with emotions.

"But Snape-"

"-told him. He got your message and floo called Sirius the minute he was out of Umbridge's office. But you knew Sirius, he was never the one to sit quiet." Remus gave a short laugh. "He went anyways and got himself-" He stopped. "It wasn't your fault."

Harry looked at him and bit his lip. He knew he should have learned Occlumency with more efforts, then he could have known that it was a fake vision, not a real one. It _was_ his fault. But he kept these thoughts to himself.

"How was your summer?" Remus changed the topic.

"It was fine. The Dursleys gave me some space." Harry lied smoothly.

"Are you sure? You look a lot thinner than you were at the end of last year." Remus frowned.

"It's nothing. I…was a bit sick this summer." He said.

"Are you sleeping well? Maybe you should-"

"I am fine, Remus. Really." Harry cut him off.

"If you say so…" Remus looked unsure but didn't say anymore.

"It's almost dinner, I should go. I have some homework I would like to get a head start on." Harry said and got up, taking his bag with him.

"Yes, yes." Remus said and stood up too. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder and looked at him in the eye. "If you have any problems, or just want to talk, you can always come to me, alright?"

Harry nodded and smiled at the old man.

"My quarters are always open for you."

Harry suddenly threw himself at him. Remus pulled him close and rested his chin on his head.

"It's good to have you here, Remus." Harry said.

"It's good to _be_ back, Harry." Remus whispered before letting go.

"I will see you later then." Harry said and with a wave, left.

/

The next morning at breakfast, the whole Hall turned their heads towards the huge phoenix that glided inside the hall and dropped a note in Harry's lap. Harry petted Fawkes before offering him a piece of bacon which the bird refused. After an affection nip to his ear, Fawkes flew away again and the chatter in the Great hall returned to its normal volume.

Harry looked at Albus with a smile, the old man raised his goblet in acknowledgement.

"What does Dumbledore want?" Hermione asked him as he opened the note.

Harry read the note and soft groan escaped his mouth.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked and filled his goblet with pumpkin juice.

"Snape wants to start Occlumency again." Harry said with a childish whine. Ron grinned at him and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"That means he forgave you, Harry. Your apology worked." She said, making it sound like it was a victory on Harry's part.

"I did not apologize to him so that he can start with the Occlumency thing again!" Harry said, horrified at her assumption. "Occlumency is like…a _punishment_ for me! And a cruel one at that!"

"Yeah, Hermione, Harry's not suicidal." Ron backed him up. Ron's words made Harry cringe and he unconsciously rubbed his wrists.

"Whatever, I think it's a good thing he's teaching you Occlumency again. You need it, Harry." She said and looked at him sympathetically.

Harry looked at Ron.

"You _told_ her?!" He demanded.

"She's my girlfriend, mate." Ron shrugged helplessly.

Hermione blushed at his words but composed herself.

"Regardless of whatever I am to Ron, I am your best friend, Harry. I need to know when you are in distress. I felt hurt when Ron told me about your nightmares, you can trust me with them Harry, I won't go around parading about them." Hermione said softly.

Harry put his head in his hands and rubbed his face.

"I know. I am sorry." He said.

Hermione was looking worriedly at him. "You don't look good." She stated.

"Gee Hermione, thanks for telling me why I don't have a girlfriend." Harry said sarcastically and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Maybe you should speak with Madam Pomfery, she can give you some Dreamless Sleep." She suggested.

"No, I'm fine." Harry said and pushed away his plate.

"Really? Harry, you have bags under your eyes, you don't eat anything, yes, I noticed." She nodded at his shocked face. "You _study_ , and as much as I like that, it's very unlikely of you to do so. You can talk to us, Harry. We are your friends." She said and looked at him with genuine concern.

Harry gave her a tired smile.

"I know. I will talk when there is something to talk." He said softly before looking at Ron. "Did you read yesterday's Quidditch magazine, Ron?" He easily changed the subject, much to Hermione's annoyance.

 **A/N: More Snape and Harry coming soon in the next chapters!**

 **Stay Tuned :)**


	3. Occlumency

**A/N: Thank you all for the great response!**

 **Chapter 3: Occlumency**

Harry dragged his feet to Snape's office the coming Monday. The weekend was great. He, along with Ron and Hermione had gone to Hogsmead on Saturday and had had a lot of fun in the Shrieking Shack. Hermione hadn't stopped pestering him about his food habits but she was tolerable. Harry was glad someone worried and smiled at her when she looked sternly at him.

Harry was currently more worried about the Occlumency session.

' _What if Snape sees Uncle Vernon's beatings?'_ He thought, but then snorted to himself. _'He will probably laugh and tell me that's what I deserve.'_

' _What if he sees my memories of cutting…'_ Fearfully, he pulled on the sleeves of his robe. _'No, I will have to try harder to bury them at the back of my head.'_

He had read some books over the days about Occlumency and had tried some techniques too. He hated to admit it, but it was an interesting subject.

At exactly 6:59, Harry knocked on Snape's office door and entered after he heard a curt ' _Enter'_ from inside.

The office was the same as he remembered, half filled with disgusting but fascinating ingredients, and half filled with books.

"Looking for my pensive, Potter?" Snape's silky voice broke through his mind.

"No…I…" He cleared his throat. "I wanted to thank you for your time, sir. And for accepting my apology, although I did not apologize so that you can teach me Occlumency again, I genuinely was sorry." Harry clarified.

"The Headmaster is a very sly fool, Potter. Have a seat." He indicated to a chair in front of his desk as he sat in the one behind the desk.

"You made a pathetic attempt to learn Occlumency last time." Snape started. Harry wanted to point out that Snape was not exactly an ideal teacher either, but felt that it was wise to keep quiet. "I expect you to actually _learn_ something this time, not just waste both of our time. Am I clear?" Snape asked sternly.

"Yes sir." Harry said and looked at his hands.

"You know the first step, Potter. Clear your mind." Snape said and stood up. He gestured Harry to do the same too. After he had complied, Snape waved his wand and the chairs, along with Harry's bag, were slid towards the wall, leaving an open space just enough for them both.

"I must not have been very clear last time, so I will explain it to you again. Clear your mind doesn't mean you don't have to think at all, which I know you are expert at." He sneered. "It means, you think of something that could hide your thoughts. Something that will overpower your memories which you don't want to show me, or anyone. Something which will clear your mind of other thoughts and replace them with one memory which you want the other person to see." Snape explained.

Harry already knew this from his reading but he nodded nevertheless. "Yes sir. Can I think of anything?"

"Yes. Good memories, or something trivial. It should be strong enough to bear the pressure of the Legilimens." Snape said casually.

"So if I think of flying, I will have to imagine myself flying?" Harry asked. He thought Snape would blow off now, accusing him of asking unnecessary questions, but was surprised when Snape calmly answered.

"Imagination is a weak defense in Occlumency, Potter. It changes frequently and is highly unstable. You have played numerous matches of Quidditch in your life, try to bring up an actual memory instead of imagining anything."

Harry nodded and took a deep breath.

"Close your eyes." Snape ordered. "Tell me when you are ready."

Harry was shocked to see Snape trying to be so patient with him but closed his eyes.

"Relax, Potter, I am not going to kill you." Snape said as he noticed the boy's tensed shoulders.

Harry tried to relax and close his eyes but he was too worried about his teacher finding out everything about his life.

"I can't relax." He stated with defeat.

Snape took a deep breath to refrain himself from commenting on the boy's lack skills.

"There are some breathing techniques that may help." He said slowly.

For the next half hour, Snape taught Harry some of the techniques and Harry was finally able to relax.

He thought of his first Quidditch match and how he had caught the snitch. He brought up the memory in the front of his mind, like a shield.

"I will enter you mind now, Potter." Snape said. " _Legilimens_."

Harry instantly felt a presence in his mind, trying to rummage around his brain. He tried to do as the book had told him to and tried to hide away most of his memories behind his Quidditch memory.

After a while of struggling, his defense fell and Snape entered his mind and latched on to the most recent memory which was of him and Remus having tea. The presence instantly left his mind and Harry found himself panting on the floor.

"You've been practicing." Snape stated with narrowed eyes.

"I did read some books after Headmaster Dumbledore told me about the sessions." Harry admitted and took off his glasses to clean them on his shirt.

"Which books?" Snape inquired.

"Koran Nelson's _Mind of an Intruder_ , and I just flipped through _Occlumency: A defense_." Harry said and put on his cleaned glasses before standing up.

Snape made a humming noise before moving towards the book shelf in his office. He took out a thick navy blue book and dusted the cover before handing the book over to Harry.

" _A Dive into Memories_ byFrank Dorson _."_ Harry read out loud.

"I was unaware that you didn't know that I can read, Potter." Harry blushed before looking at the book again. "The books you read give very little insight to the art of Occlumency and more into the history, technique, advantages and disadvantages of it. This book shall help you put up some good defenses, unlike the one you just put up now. It held for a while because I wasn't trying, as soon as I prodded a bit, it fell." Snape said.

"I tried it for the first time!" Harry defended himself.

"That is not what matters. The memory that you choose to distract the intruder with, that's what matters." Snape said and sat down in his chair. A flick of his hand and the other chairs along with Harry's bag slid into their original position.

"So you think that flying is not a good memory?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"I do not know, Potter. It is _your_ mind. It should be your decision. You should be able to answer your own question." Snape said shortly.

Harry looked at the book again before biting his lip. He wanted to ask Snape about what he used as his defense memory but he knew the man would just sneer at him and kick him out. The session was going good till now and Harry had every intention of keeping it that way.

"Read the book, whatever you can read in two days. We will meet again this Thursday, same time." Snape said and opened his office door with a wave of his wand.

Harry took his bag before stuffing the book in it and slinging it over his shoulders. He went towards the door and stopped at the frame. He wanted to say something but decided against it.

"Good evening, Professor." He said softly before stepping out. The door closed behind him and he sighed before making his way back to the Gryffindor tower.

/

Severus was baffled.

The boy had actually made an attempt to learn today. He had even read some books.

' _Maybe losing his dogfather brought a little change in his mind._ ' He thought.

He had noticed the pathetic glamour charms on his arms and was curious as to what they were hiding.

' _Most probably a muggle tattoo.'_ He thought with a sneer. _'Leave it to Potter to do the most absurd things.'_

A knock on the door to his office brought him out of his musings.

"Come in." He called and put down his quill.

"Good Evening, Severus." Severus groaned as Remus entered.

"What do you want, Lupin? The Wolfsbane will be delivered to you in your quarters this Saturday. There is a reason for that arrangement." He said and rubbed his head. He was in no mood for the wolf's talk.

"I know, Severus." Remus said and sat down. Severus raised an eyebrow at him. "What reason?" Remus asked curiously.  
"I don't have to see you more than I already do." Severus stated simply. Remus shook his head in amusement before crossing his legs.

"I heard Harry had an Occlumency lesson with you today." Remus said.

"I don't _socialize_ , Lupin, and certainly not with you. You can show yourself out." Severus said and picked up his quill again before marking the essay in front of him.

"He blames himself for Sirius' death." Remus said sadly.

"I am not a counsellor, Wolf." Severus snapped loudly.

"How was he? Did he learn this time?" Remus asked him, clearly not affected by Severus' rude behavior.

"You can ask him and leave me in peace." Severus gritted out.

"Please, Severus. He needs to learn." Remus said, almost pleadingly. Severus gave him a calculating look.

"You blame him too." Severus observed.

" _What_!? I will never-" Remus exploded.

"Don't lie. I can see." Severus said. "You blame him for not learning Occlumency at the right time."

Remus clenched his jaw and looked away.

"My, my, trouble in paradise, is it?" Severus smirked as Remus glared at him.

"I try not to, but the possibility of if he had learned Occlumency last year always pops up in my mind." Remus said in a strained voice.

"He apologized for you and your little _Marauder_ pranks, Lupin. Even though it wasn't his job." Severus said, not at all believing that he was defending the brat.

"I know! You don't have to rub it in! I know he is not to blame and he is good boy-" Severus snorted at that. "-but I just _can't_ get it out of my head!"

"Solve your problems yourself, Lupin. I am not your friend and neither your acquaintance to listen and _actually_ give you solutions to your problem." Severus said hotly. "Although I am surprised that you blame the boy for Black's death."

"I do not _want_ to blame him." Remus growled. Full moon was near and his eyes held the fiery Werewolf tint. Severus didn't show his fear but he was a bit unnerved.

"Then don't. And get out." Severus said in dismissal.

Remus took a deep breath and stood up before walking towards the door of Severus' office.

"Just so you know, Wolf, the boy has made progress. He is better than last year." Severus said before looking down at the essay again, giving Remus a clear indication that their conversation was over.

Remus sighed before walking out.

/

Harry couldn't sleep. His thoughts were all over the place after the recent nightmare he had had. He finally gave up and took his book bag down to the common room, thinking of doing some reading for Charms. The common room was empty and the fire was almost out, making the atmosphere a bit chilly.

Harry quickly added some logs in the fire and sat down.

As he took out his Charms text, his eyes fell on the book Snape had given him the day before yesterday. He had another session with him today.

Harry abandoned his Charms text and opened the Occlumency book. The book had a lot of helpful details about how one can keep their defenses up for a longer period of time.

Safe to say, it was an amazing book and Harry loved it.

Somewhere between chapter 4, the book slipped from his hands and fell on his chest, softly bobbing up and down with Harry's even breathing.

"Harry? _Harry_!" Harry jerked awake and saw Hermione kneeling beside him, checking the huge book.

"Good morning, Hermione. What's the time?" He asked groggily.

"7." Hermione said as she read the title of the book. "Harry James Potter!" She suddenly erupted.

Harry jumped up at her shrill voice before giving her a ' _What_?' look.

She slapped him with the book on his shoulder and gave him a stern look.

"You _sneaked_ into the restricted section of the library? How many times do I have to-" She started.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted over her scolding. "What are you talking about?" He continued in a normal voice.  
Hermione threw the book into his lap and crossed her arms over her chest.

" _A Dive into Memories_? This book was in the restricted section of the library, Harry! How can you-" Harry cut her off again.

"I did not sneak into any section, Hermione! Snape gave it to me to read." He explained. Hermione stopped in mid-sentence and closed her mouth with a snap.

"Professor Snape gave it to you?" She asked skeptically.

"You think I will willingly borrow an Occlumency book from the library?" He said, not hinting that he already had done that.

"Well…" Hermione stood up and sat beside him. She took the book in her hands and rubbed it. "It's a pretty good book, and was in the restricted section, I saw it the last time I was there." She said and handed it to him. "It's good Snape's taking an effort to teach you." She said.

"Yes, he acted like an adult." He grinned as he remembered her words. Hermione ribbed him with her elbow.

"Go on, get dressed. I'm sure our hungry pig will be down any minute, dragging us down to breakfast." She said with a small smile.

Harry laughed at her as he stuffed his books back in his bag.

"I will be back." He said and raced upstairs.

/

"What time did you sleep last night, mate?" Ron whispered to Harry who jerked awake and looked at him.

"I don't know, sometime after 4." Harry said and rubbed his eyes.

"Binns is literally ghost glaring at you." Ron said.

"I couldn't sleep." Harry said as a pathetic excuse for his tiredness.

"Nightmare?" Ron looked at him in concern.

Harry looked at Hermione who was also watching him before nodding slightly.

"Didn't you occlude?" Hermione asked him.

"I just started, Hermione. I can't occlude so easily." Harry said as if he was talking to a 4 years old child.

Hermione huffed before looking at her notes again.

"What's up with her?" Ron asked him.

"She's jealous that Snape gave me a book from the Restricted Section of the library." Ron and Harry snickered at that.

"I am _not_ -" Hermione blew up, but realizing that she almost disturbed the whole class, she stopped.

"Any problem, Ms. Granger?" Binns asked.

"No, sir. No problem." Hermione said and glared at the two boys sitting beside her who just hid their grins.

She fumed for the rest of the lecture and walked off before Harry and Ron could even get up after the lecture.

Harry was seemingly tired the whole day and even got a reprimand from Remus for falling asleep during the class.

Promptly at 7, Harry knocked on Snape's door and entered at the usual curt ' _enter_.'

Snape was hunched over a parchment when Harry entered and didn't look up when the teen closed the door.

Harry fidgeted near his usual chair and bit his bottom lip.

After a minute, Snape put down his quill, rolled the parchment, and with a smack, it disappeared. Harry blinked at the sudden noise.

"Did you read the book?" Snape asked him as he gestured him to take a seat.

"I did. It is pretty good. I got some helpful points from it." Harry nodded.

"How much did you read?"

"I fell asleep between the fourth chapter." Harry said sheepishly. Snape raised an eyebrow before standing up.

"Do you have any questions? Or can we start?" He asked.

"We can start." Harry shrugged and stood up. He was, in reality, no mood for Occlumency. All he wanted to do was to go to the tower and sleep.

"Good." Snape again cleared the room and made Harry stand in front of him.

"Try the breathing techniques I taught you in the last session. This time, I shall not inform you before I enter." Snape said.

Harry nodded before closing his eyes and trying out the techniques. Unfortunately for him, his exhaustion was too much.

When Snape entered his mind, Harry's thoughts were literally scrambling around to find a place to hide. He quickly tried to think of his flying memory but Snape broke through it without even prodding and caught a memory of Harry making breakfast at the Dursleys. Harry panicked and after a second, Snape's presence was out of his mind.

"Pathetic, Potter." Snape snarled at him. "At least last time you were able to hold me off for a while."

Harry panted as he lay sitting on the cold stone floor.

"Up." Snape snapped at him. "Again."

Harry shakily stood up and tried again.

Again, his defense was too crumbly and shattered just after a second. This time, Snape went deep inside his mind. Harry, with all his might, tried to push him back but all his efforts were in vain.

Snape rummaged around Harry's memories, deflecting his weak attempts to throw him out. He suddenly saw a memory with Harry sobbing on the floor. It was not the sobbing that got his attention, it was the red blood on his chest and back and his fat Uncle towering over him, that got his attention. The attempts to throw him out of Harry's mind were getting a bit stronger, but nothing he couldn't handle.

He quickly caught the memory and looked into it.

" _NO! Uncle Vernon please! It hurts already!" Harry screamed as another whip from his uncle's belt fell on his back. He could literally smell the alcohol on his uncle's clothes._

" _Shut up! You had NO right, I repeat, NO RIGHT to invade our lives 15 years ago! You and freak parents always find a way to ruin our perfectly good life.. I wish you were with them instead of here. Death is all you deserve, you swine. I hope that Vold wizard kills you, I will pay him a fortune for that." Vernon spat and continued to whip the young boy._

Snape, quite shocked at everything he had seen, quickly retreated out of Harry's mind.

Harry found himself lying on the floor again. He looked at Snape who was looking at him with a shocked expression. Anger bubbled in Harry's stomach and before he could explode, he quickly stood up and ran out of the door, not caring that his accidental magic had not only opened the door for him, but had also destroyed Snape's book shelf.

 **A/N: Thank you for reading! Reviews are definitely appreciated!**


	4. Out In The Open

**A/N: I hit 100 follows! Thank you so much everybody! Love you guys!**

 **Chapter 4: Out in the open**

Severus could not believe what he had seen. His world was thrown upside down by this…unimaginable revelation. With a wave of his wand, his destroyed bookshelf was back to normal.

He fell down in his chair and filled a goblet with ice cold water before drinking it. He knew he shouldn't leave the boy alone after this, but he wanted to give Harry time, and also to himself, to get to know the situation.

 _James_ _Potter's_ _son_.

 _Abused_.

 _Lily's_ son.

 _His_ Lily's.

His first thought was to directly go to Dumbledore and let him deal with this, but he instantly discarded it.

' _If the boy wanted to tell Dumbledore, he would have told him a long time ago.'_ He thought. He rubbed a hand over his face and groaned.

Why is it always _him_ who gets landed in situations like these?

He took a few deep breaths before standing up. He saw Harry's wand lying beside his desk and summoned it, putting it in his pocket.

Once he was out of his office, he whipped out his own wand and muttered:

"Point me, Harry Potter."

/

Harry ran and ran and ran and ran. His first instinct was to run out of the castle and hide himself in the Forbidden Forest, but he didn't think it was a wise idea considering a blood thirsty dark wizard was out looking for him. So, he ran to the Seventh floor and saw the Room of Requirement. He closed his eyes as he ran towards the door, pretty much like entering platform 9 ¾. The door opened on its own and closed as soon as Harry entered.

Harry stopped in the middle of the room and looked around. There was nothing in the room. Just a small fireplace which gave enough light for him to make out a huge window which extended from the floor to the ceiling and over looked the Forbidden Forest. He took harsh breaths as he made his way shakily towards the window and fell down in front of it.

Suddenly, he curled into a small ball and sobs wracked his small frame. He had no idea what he was crying for.

Was it the fact that Snape now knew and he would probably announce it in the Great Hall and everybody will have a good laugh at him?

Or was it the fact that now _someone_ knew, even if it was Snape, and he didn't have to bear the pain alone?

He had the strongest urge to cut himself right now. He felt his robe pockets where he always kept the broken piece of Sirius' glass. He took it out and slashed his wrist not once, not twice, not thrice, but multiple times. Blood poured over the cream-colored rug that covered the whole floor. He instantly felt a relief wash over him, but it was short lived. The pain was too less.

Harry's sobs increased and he threw the glass away. All he wanted to do was die.

Voldemort.

Uncle Vernon.

And now Snape.

It was as if his life was playing this cruel joke with him which never seemed to end.

He heard the door to the room open and stilled.

"Potter?"

Harry's breathing hitched in his chest when he heard the silky voice of his Potion's Professor.

/

Snape's wand pointed toward the Room of Requirement and he frowned.

He had no idea what kind of room Potter must have imagined. He then closed his eyes and thought of Harry. To his surprise, a door knob appeared and Severus opened it.

It was a dark room. He could see a small figured curled up near the huge window in the faint glow of the fire. Harsh sobs met his ears and he winced. He was not at all prepared for this.

"Potter?" He called. The figure stilled.

He cautiously walked over towards the boy and contemplated whether to sit beside him or drag him out. He chose the first thing, however before he could do so, he saw a dark substance oozing out of the boy's hands. He quickly cast a lumos and gasped at the amount of blood coming out of Harry's hand.

He kneeled beside the boy who was looking at him fearfully and gently took his hands in his.

"What did you do, Potter?" He cursed himself for the harsh tone and Harry flinched before scurrying away.

"Do-don't come near me." He said.

"Potter, I need to heal you wounds." Severus said as he if was talking to a six-year old.

Harry was shocked at the compassion in Snape's voice.

"N-no. I'm fine." He stuttered out. "Leave me alone." He winced as it came out more as a plead less as a strong command.

Severus was determined not to leave the boy alone. He sat down in front of him, cross-legged, and gave Harry a challenging look.

"No." He said firmly.

Harry stared at him with red eyes and sniffed. Snape produced a clean handkerchief and handed it to him.

Harry skeptically looked at the piece of cloth before taking it with shaky hands and wiping his face.

"Harry, please let me heal your hands." Snape said in his most gentle voice.

Harry was sure that he was possessed by some kind of demon because the next thing he knew, he was holding out his hands for Snape to inspect.

Severus quickly vanished the boy's outer robe and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt. It took almost all if his will power to not react to the bloody sight in front of him.

"Are you wearing a glamour to hide more of these?" He asked in a controlled voice.

Harry didn't speak but his silence gave Severus the answer he needed.

"Finite Incantatem." He muttered and watched as thin red and pink lines made confusing maps on Harry's both the wrists.

Severus was a certified healer, so he knew many healing spells, but also knew that the boy was emotionally and magically drained due to the glamour charm and had lost a lot of blood, so using much magic on him will surely be harmful.

He cast a mild healing charm and conjured bandages to wrap them around the wounds.

"Do your friends know?" He asked as he worked.

"No." Harry said hoarsely. Severus nodded as he worked.

"Why didn't you tell them?"

Harry didn't answer and looked away.

"Does Dumbledore know?" Severus already knew the answer, but he still asked.

"No." Harry whispered.

"You should have told him instead of suffering so much in the hands of those vile creatures." Severus scolded as he finished bandaging one wrist and moved on to the other.

"He would still stick the blood wards story on me and would make me go back." It seemed that Harry had gained some of his self- control back and was looking at Snape working.

"Do you want me to talk to him?" Snape asked.

Harry looked at him and bit his bottom lip.

"You won't tell the others?" He asked in disbelief.

Severus snorted as he finished with Harry's other hand.

"Why, pray tell, will I tell anyone else what happens in your life? Although _you_ , should definitely have told someone." He gave Harry a piercing look.

"I thought you would announce it all over the school." Harry whispered.

"I might be many things Potter, but I am not heartless. I do not take the issue of bullying and abuse as a matter to be sneezed at, _you_ of all people should know that." Severus said, referring to the pensive incident.

"I apologized for that." Harry said and sniffed.

"And as much as I hated to do it, I forgave you." Severus replied equally.

"I don't understand." Harry said after a while. Severus waited for him to continue. "Why are you doing this?"

"I told you Potter, I am not heartless." Severus said and looked at Harry's gaunt face. "We will have to go to Madame Pomfrey."

Harry fearfully looked at Severus and frantically shook his head.

"No."

"Potter-"

"NO. I don't want anyone to see anything." He said. Panic overtook him and his breathing came out in gasps.

"Breathe, Potter. Remember those techniques that I taught you. Breathe." Severus said calmly as he put a hand on Harry's chest.

Harry got his breathing under control and noticed that he was holding Snape's hand over his chest. He quickly let go.

"We also need to tell Albus." Severus stated.

"There is no point. He will still make me go back, I told you." Harry said and tears welled in his emerald eyes.

' _Lily's eyes._ ' Severus thought.

"And even if he takes me out of there, I have nowhere else to go. It's just one summer, then I'll be 17, and find myself a place." Harry said and swiped a hand over his eyes.

"I refuse to let you spend even one more minute with that bastard of an Uncle that you have." Severus said angrily. "17 or not, you cannot leave that place before you defeat the Dark Lord."

Harry's eyes snapped at him.

"Where will I go? The Burrow? I cannot put the Weasleys' lives in danger. Hermione's parents are muggles, that rules them out." Harry said. "I don't have a bloody home except Hogwarts!" He cried.

"Calm down, Potter. We will figure something out." Severus said.

"I don't want to speak with Dumbledore right now." Harry said after a while.

"Do you want me to speak with him?" Severus offered.

"Thank you." Harry said and nodded his head before gazing out of the window.

"You realize that you will have to face him sometime." Severus said.

"I know."

"You will have to talk to your friends too."

"I know."

"And your Head of House, of course."

"I know."

Severus leaned back on his hands and studied the boy.

"How long?" He asked him.

"Depends on what you are asking about." Harry sighed.

"Your Uncle."

"2 maybe 3 years ago." Harry whispered. "He always threw me around from the start, but he never fully…"

"And the cutting?"

Harry gulped painfully before answering. "Af-after Sirius…"

A lone tear escaped his eye and he wiped it on his shoulder.

"You haven't eaten. You were missing at dinner and breakfast, and barely touched your plate at lunch." Severus observed.

"I wasn't hungry." Came the reply.

"The whole week?"

"Why were you spying on me?" Harry narrowed his eyes at him. Severus raised an eyebrow at him.

"Come, let's get you back to the Gryffindor tower." Severus said and stood up.

"I think I will sit here for a while." Harry said and looked out of the glass window.

"Absolutely not. It's the tower, or to Dumbledore's office with me. I will not have you alone just to let you indulge in such self- harming activities." Severus said firmly.

"You don't understand. It helps." Harry whispered.

"Oh believe me Potter, I do understand." Severus said roughly.

Harry suddenly looked at him and then at his Professor's hands.

"You too…?" He asked.

Severus snorted.

"Lord no, Potter. I never resorted to such self-ruinous behavior in my time as a volatile teenager. But then again, my life was different from yours." He said. Harry nodded slowly.

"Then how do you understand?" He asked.

"That, Potter, is a story for another time." Severus' voice took a rough edge as he spoke, as if it cost him a lot to even refer to whatever had happened.

He extended a hand towards him to help him stand up.

"Come."

Harry looked at the hand before slowly taking it and standing up.

"My bag and my wand…" Harry said as he searched his back pocket for his wand.

Severus took it out of his robe pocket and handed it to the boy.

"Next time, try not to run off anywhere without your wand, Potter. I will send your bag upstairs." He said. His sharp eyes suddenly caught something shining behind Harry and he moved to pick it up.

"That's mine…" Harry said and tried to grab it from Snape's hand. But Snape was faster than him.

"Not anymore. I am confiscating it." He said and dropped it into one of his million pockets in his robe.

"But-" Harry started.

"No discussion, Potter." Snape said sternly.

Harry huffed but nodded.

The walk towards Gryffindor Common Room was a silent one. Fortunately for Harry, no one was in the halls as it was after curfew.

Snape stood outside the portrait door and gestured Harry to go in.

"My friends would be awake…" He said and looked at his bandaged hands and blood covered white shirt. Severus' one wave of wand cleared his robe and shirt and another made the bandages disappear.

"I will also send a salve with your bag. I expect you to put it on _all_ your injuries. At least the ones that you can reach." He said and pinned Harry with a stare.

"Yes sir." Harry said and turned towards the portrait. He stopped again and this time, he didn't hesitate to speak.

"Sir?" He turned around. Snape gave him a questioning look. "Thank you." Harry poured all of his gratitude in those two words.

"Sleep well, Potter." Severus nodded and watched as Harry entered the Common Room. After the portrait door closed behind him, Severus pivoted on his heels, and with a swish of his robes, disappeared down the stairs to Dumbledore's office.

/

" _Harry_! Where were you?" Hermione asked him as soon as he entered the Common Room.

"We were about to go and call McGonagall, thinking that Snape had mangled your body for some potion." Ron said.

Harry actually snorted at that.

"He…uh…kept me for a while. Walked me back actually." Harry said and sat down in one of the armchairs.

"He _walked_ you back? Is that some new kind of torture that he has established?" Ron said with wide eyes.

"Ron, really." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry," She called her friend who was staring into the fire. "Where's your bag?"

Harry looked at her and racked his tired brain to find an answer.

"I left it at Snape's." He said helplessly.

"Why?" She asked him oddly.

"I don't know." Harry said and stood up. "I'm tired. Occlumency took a lot out of me."

Hermione and Ron looked at him with strange gazes as he walked up the stairs of Gryffindor towers.

"What's wrong with him?" Hermione asked, mostly to herself.

"Well, he _was_ with Snape for the past few hours…" Ron shrugged and then winced as Hermione's hard hand connected with his shoulder.

/

" _I want him removed from there, Albus!"_ Severus thundered. He had explained everything he had seen to the old man and was annoyed to no end when all Albus did was put up a calming hand.

"Severus, I can understand your worries. I am worried myself. I want to speak with Harry before I come to any conclusion." He said.

"You don't believe me?" Severus narrowed his eyes at Albus. "You think I make this up for _fun_?!" He asked him angrily.

"Severus, don't make any assumptions. Of course, I believe you. I need to speak with Harry so that I can discuss with him the next course of action. It saddens me to no limit that he never told me about this." Albus said sadly.

"Well then do something about it and get him out of there. Those muggles should rot in Azkaban." Severus gritted out

"It's not that easy, Severus. I will have to find a place for him first." Albus said.

"He can stay at Hogwarts." Severus said instantly.

"He is not 17 till next summer. If I take him out of his relatives' house, they will no longer be his guardians. The ministry requires every child below the age of 17 to have a guardian, if Harry Potter doesn't have one, it will raise unwanted questions. And this is _not_ the time for such things, the war is upon us, Harry needs all the support he can get." Albus explained calmly.

"So you won't take him out if there? Instead, you will make the savior of the whole Wizarding World _suffer_ at the hands of a few _muggles_. Are you even listening to yourself?!" Severus hissed.

"Severus, it has been a long day. You need your rest, and I need to think about all of this." Albus said tiredly. "I will speak with Harry soon. You may come too, if you wish."

"If Potter wants, I will make my presence known." Severus said and stood up. "Lupin is here now, he can take the guardianship too. Don't let him go back, Albus. Don't break him anymore than he already is. I am afraid you won't be able to gather the pieces to fix him back." Severus said and looked at Albus before turning and leaving.

Albus sighed and put his head in his hands.

"Oh Merlin, what have I done?" He said to himself. "I am sorry I couldn't care for him, Lily. I am sorry, James."

 **A/N: Hope it was good!**

 **Leave a review for me, will ya?**


	5. Revelations

**A/N: Here's a new chapter for you all!**

 **Chapter 5: Revelations**

Harry Potter sighed as he flew above the Forbidden Forest. Flying always gave him a sense of freedom and he felt miles away from all the problems in his life. It had been a week since Snape and he had talked in the Room of Requirement. The man always shot him strange looks in class. He didn't ignore him anymore, but nor did he exactly give him too much attention.

Harry wondered if he had spoken with Dumbledore, the old wizard always gave him an apologetic smile whenever their eyes locked.

The wind blew over his face and his hair whipped back. He urged his Firebolt to go faster and faster.

"Oi! Harry!" Ron's yell made him slow down. "Want to test the wards around school or what?"

Harry looked in front of his and saw that he was almost at the edge of the school property. He turned his broom and headed towards Ron's direction.

"When are you planning on keeping the Quidditch tryouts, Captain?" Ron teased him as they walked back to the castle.

"I don't know. I am not sure if I'll keep the Captain position." Harry admitted.

Ron stopped in his tracks and gaped at Harry.

"Have you gone _totally_ nutters?!" He erupted.

Harry just looked at him.

"I'm not sure if I can handle it." He shrugged.

"You're bonkers." Ron said and shook his head.

"You want to get on the team?" Harry asked, slowly realizing Ron's intentions.

"Well…I-I thought I would try out as a keeper." Ron shrugged as they started walking back to the castle.

"You didn't think that I would let you in on the team just because you are my best mate, did you, now?" Harry smirked.

"What- _No_!" Ron spluttered and turned as red as his hair before realizing that Harry was pulling his leg. "You bloody sod!" He said and put Harry in a headlock as the other boy laughed.

No one saw the black figure that watched them from a window as they chased each other around.

/

"What are you thinking, Severus?" Albus' voice disturbed him as he watched both the boys play as if they were 10.

"Nothing. I am watching." He replied without turning around.

"The sunset over the Forbidden Forest?" Albus asked.

"No. Potter and Weasely." Severus turned around and stalked towards Albus' desk before sitting down in one if the chairs.

"What have you decided, then?" He asked and steepled his long fingers in front of him.

"I am still searching for a place for him. I have considered some of the Order members, but I am not sure." Albus said.

"The boy is restless, I can see. He wants answers." Severus said.

"And I will give him." Albus looked over his spectacles.

"Who have you considered till now?" Severus asked.

Albus sighed and took a list from one of his many piles of papers. Severus sometimes wondered if the man ever cleaned his table in the last 100 years.

"Not many. Maybe you can help me." He said and handed the list over to Severus.

" _Alastor_ _Moody_? Definitely not. You don't want to traumatize the boy by making him think that there are Death Eaters on every turn do you?" Severus said as he read. " _Nymphadora_ _Tonks_?" Severus looked at Albus as if he had grown another head. "I am not even going to comment on this one."

"I told you there aren't many people. Plus, Harry needs emotional support after what he has gone through, he needs a constant person in his life."

"And Moody and Tonks are one of them?" Severus asked in disbelief.

"Why don't _you_ name some, Severus?" Albus asked him.

"Lupin." Severus said but instantly regretted it as he remembered the talk he had had with the Wolf a few days ago.

"He's a werewolf, I am surprised you don't have any comments on that." Albus said with a raised eyebrow.

"Lupin is a bad choice in many ways, not just one. I just realized." Severus said and looked down at his hands.

"I say," Albus leaned forward. "let him be for now. We can figure something out when he goes back." Albus said cautiously.

Severus' head snapped up faster than light.

"Are you insane?" He growled.

"He is not in any danger from the Dursleys right now, Severus." Albus said.

"The boy _cuts_ himself!" Severus yelled and took out the piece of mirror from his pocket before slamming it on the wooden desk. "Can you see the blood on this? It's _his_! He does that to _himself_ and you want us to just turn a blind eye on that? Are you so eager to kill the Dark Lord that you are forgetting about the well-being of your _Golden Boy?"_ Severus said and stood up.

"What do you want me to do Severus?" Albus raised his own voice. "You know there is no one."

Severus just glared at him.

Suddenly Albus' eyes twinkled madly.

"What?" Severus asked.

"There is one more person." He said and took the list that Severus had thrown over to him.

"Who?" Severus narrowed his eyes.

"He is an Order member. I trust him with my life. He can protect Harry and even give him the emotional support he needs." Albus said as he wrote something on the list.

"Who, Albus?" Severus asked and snatched the list when Albus extended it to him.

 _Severus Snape._

Severus' eyes turned stormy as he looked from Dumbledore's neat scrawl to the man himself, who was smiling madly.

"I am trying _very_ hard here to keep my composure, Dumbledore. Do not, I repeat, do _not_ push me." Severus said between clenched teeth.

"I am doing nothing of such kind, Severus." Albus said, still smiling.

Severus suddenly snapped open the cuff of his left hand and held it up.

"Are you forgetting about this?" He asked angrily and pointed to the Dark Mark on his forearm.

"I most definitely am not." Albus said and stood up.

"You live in a mansion in the most remote part of Britain, Severus. No body except me, and your _favorite_ brother know about it. A few more wards and your house will be as safe as Hogwarts." Severus rolled his eyes at the mention of his brother, Sebastian.  
"Sebastian is gallivanting around the world. Do not rely on him to be there." Severus said and sat down.

"You can do this, Severus. You care for him. I can see it in you." Albus said and put his withered hand on Severus' shoulder. "After I am gone, he will need someone like you to explain him everything." Albus said.

"You are not going anywhere. The potion works, keep taking it." Severus said firmly.

"I do take it." Albus replied. "So, will you take him?"

Severus rubbed his hands over his eyes and before sighing. He needed a break.

Can he care for the boy?

Can he fulfill the boy's emotional needs?

Was he ready to be father?

The thought itself brought out a laugh from Severus.

"Severus?" Albus called him.

"I don't think I will be able to do this, Albus." Severus said and looked at him with tired eyes.

"Severus, you show that you don't have any capacity to love, but I disagree." Albus said. "I know you are scared-"

 _"I am not scared!"_

"-but you and Harry have a lot in common." Albus said. "He is not James Potter, Severus."

"I know." Severus hissed at him.

"After the war, he will need to be looked after. He needs someone to trust, someone he can rely on. He needs _you_ , Severus. And you need him." Albus said in a pleading voice.

Severus rubbed his face and closed his eyes for a minute.

"I am…willing to accept it." Albus grinned from ear-to-ear at that. "But, I am not sure if the boy will agree." Severus said.

"He will. Let me talk to him." Albus said. "I will also ready the papers for adoption."

" _Adoption_!?" Severus cried. "We were talking about guardianship, Albus."

"Might as well adopt him, he will have nowhere else to go after the guardianship ends when he turns 17." Albus shrugged.

Severus abruptly stood up and pointed his finger towards Albus.

"Talk to him about the _guardianship_ , Albus." He said and turned and left.

"Of course, my boy." Albus said to himself and grinned.

/

Harry was relieved as well as nervous when Snape stopped him after class on Tuesday. Hermione gave him a questioning look but Harry just gestured her to go.

"Sir?" He asked slowly as the last student went out.

"I spoke with the Headmaster." Severus said and sat down behind his desk. Harry gulped and his hands unconsciously went to his wrists. Severus caught his action and narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"Show me your hands, Potter." He ordered and menacingly stood up.

"Sir?" Harry backed away a bit.

"Your hands, Potter." Severus strode towards him and took his hands in his own. He said a non-verbal spell and Harry's glamour fell.

"Potter-" Severus started.

"I had to!" Harry defended himself and jerked his newly cut wrists out of his Professor's grasp.

"I know you cannot stop it at once, Potter. But at least _try_ to!" Severus said. He put his hand up, ignoring the way Harry flinched, and summoned a very small bottle of salve. He thrust the bottle into harry hands.

"It is a one application salve. Put it on your wrists at night." He said softly.

Harry nodded and put the bottle into his bag.

"And come to the Headmaster's office after dinner. We have some things we need to discuss." Severus said and clasped his hands at his back, the way Harry had seen him do so many times.

"I will." Harry replied and after a nod from Snape, left the classroom.

"What did he want?" Hermione asked him when he came out.

"Occlumency stuff. Dumbledore wants to see my progress, so I have to go to his office after dinner." Harry hated to keep stuff from his friends, but he had yet to gather the courage that required to them the truth.

"Does it hurt?" Hermione asked him out of nowhere. Harry panicked, thinking that she had seen his wrists.

"Wh-what hurts?" He asked shakily.

"Occlumency." Hermione said. "Does your head hurt after that?"

"Oh." Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "No, not every time. But if it hurts, Snape somehow knows and hands me a potion before I leave." Which was the truth, finally.

"Professor Snape acts a bit odd around you, haven't you noticed?" Leave it to Hermione to figure such things out.

"I haven't." Harry shrugged. "He still ignores me." He then saw Ron waiting for them near the Great Hall and ran over to him, leaving Hermione looking mysteriously at his back.

/

Harry shuffled nervously on his feet as he waited for the Gargoyle to leave him at the Headmaster's office.

He jumped down and slowly knocked on the big Mahogany door.

"Come in, Harry." Dumbledore's voice came from beyond the door and Harry entered.

Albus was sitting in his usual chair with Fawkes beside him and Severus was sitting in one of the two chairs in front of the desk.

"Have a seat, Harry." Albus gestured to the chair beside the Potions Professor.

Harry kept his bag beside his chair and sat down.

"Potter." Snape nodded at him.

"Professor." Harry greeted back.

"Harry." Albus started. "I would first like to start by apologizing for the situation that I put you in for the last 16 years. I thought Petunia would see you as Lily's son and care for you as her own. Little did I know that such hatred and malice was filled in her and her husband." He shook his head sadly. Harry could see the regret in his blue eyes as he spoke.

The young boy didn't know what to say, so he just nodded mutely.

"I have to ask, Harry, why didn't you say anything before?" Albus asked him.

Harry gulped before shifting in his seat.

"I-I tried, sir. But you made the blood wards seemed so important, that I thought you wouldn't let me leave." Harry said.

"Harry, if you would have told me I would have definitely never let you go back! I am sorry if I gave you the wrong message but letting you suffer in their hands was never my intention, son." Albus said. He was shocked that Harry had misinterpreted his words in such a manner.

"I understand, sir." Harry said softly, mentally cursing himself for being so stupid.

"Anyways, in the light of the recent events, I would prefer that you never see the Dursleys ever again." Albus said with a look towards Severus.

Harry's eyes lit up at that.

"Will I live at Hogwarts?" He asked enthusiastically.

Albus chuckled at that.

"For a while, yes. But we had to find you a guardian so that the Ministry won't inquire much." Albus said.

"A guardian? I can live with Remus, right?" Harry asked him.

Albus slowly shook his head.

"The Child Services doesn't allow people like Remus to take custody of any children." Albus explained. Harry's face fell.

"Well then, who else will take me in?" He said hopelessly.

"I have spoken with someone, and he is willing to accept this situation if you will." Albus' eyes shone with happiness.

"Who?" Harry asked curiously.

"Me, Potter." Snape, who was sitting quietly all this time, spoke up.

Harry turned his head towards him in shock.

"You?" He asked him in disbelief.

"There's hardly anyone else in here." Severus intoned.

Harry looked at Albus and blinked.

"Professor Snape has a huge property in Britain, Harry. Very less people know about it. And as I have heard, you seem to be more comfortable around Severus than anyone else." Albus looked over his spectacles.

"I-I don't know. I mean…" Harry licked his lips.

Severus felt a pang of hurt at the rejection and he brutally berated himself for caring so much.

"I am sure you can find someone else, Albus." He said stiffly and stood up, having no wish to remain in the same room as the ungrateful brat.

Albus was still looking at Harry. The boy was thinking so hard that Severus could literally see the wheels turning in his head.

He turned around and was just about to open the door when Harry's words froze him.

"I accept it."

He snapped his head towards the boy whose back was towards him. Albus had a smile on his face, a smile that Severus didn't like. The old man clapped his hands once and looked at Severus who was still near the door.

"I think the guardian needs to be here to sign the papers, Severus." He said and watched as Severus shakily made his way over to his previously occupied chair and sat down.

"Are you sure, Potter?" Severus asked him.

Harry looked at him and gave him a weak smile.

"You helped me, Professor. You didn't have to, but you did." Harry said, as if this much explanation was enough. Severus jerked his head in a way that resembled a nod and looked at Albus.

"I have the papers over here." Albus said and slid them forward.

Harry literally choked when he saw the words _'ADOPTION PAPERS'_ on the parchment.

"Albus, I told you-" Severus started but he was cut off by the old wizard.

"Guardianship was difficult for me to acquire as Harry turns 17 next year. My contact at the Ministry doesn't see any reason to take him out of the Dursley's care just for a year, majority of which he spends at Hogwarts. Hence, adoption was the only option."

Harry exhaled loudly and looked at Severus. "I can understand if you don't want to-"

"Don't be an imbecile, Potter. I'll be damned if I ever let you set foot in that house again." Severus snapped at the boy before conjuring a quill and signing his name in the box. He handed the quill to Harry who looked at the papers and then turned his gaze to Albus.

"Is it this easy? We don't need the Dursley's signature for anything?" He asked.

"I will take care of that, my boy. Don't you worry about them anymore, now." Albus said and Severus raised an eyebrow at the mischievous glint in the man's eyes.

"Oh, okay." Harry blinked. "Will my name change?"

"Legally, yes. On official documents, you will have to sign your new name, but otherwise, you will remain Harry James Potter. Don't worry though, the papers for that are yet to be drafted. Severus and you can sit together and think of a name for yourself." Albus said casually.

"Are you sure?" He asked the question to Snape who rolled his eyes.

"Sign the damn papers, Potter, before I come to my senses and Albus sends you off to live with Mad-Eye Moody." He said and smirked at Harry's widened eyes.

Harry shook his head before quickly signing the papers.

"Well that's done, then!" Albus said happily and pocketed the rolled parchments.

"Won't there be an uproar at the Ministry when the news gets out?" Harry asked.

"It won't get out." Albus waved his hand. "The Child Services are sworn to secrecy."

"That's acceptable." Severus said and sat back. He looked at the boy who was staring out of the window in the darkened forest.

James Potter's son.

Lily's son.

 _His son._

Merlin, that escalated quickly. Not even in his dreams would he have dreamed of becoming a parent, that too to Harry Bloody Potter. Or was it Snape now?

All these thoughts hurt Severus' head.

"Minerva will be informed of this situation as she is Harry's Head of House. Harry, you can tell your friends about it, but no one other than Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger." Albus said.

"I…I will, sir." Harry stammered.

"I will call you when I have the name changing papers." Albus informed them.

Severus and Harry took that as a cue to stand up.

"Thank you, sir." Harry said softly.

"It shouldn't be me that you should be thanking, Harry. Professor Snape is the real hero here." Albus smiled at Severus who gave him a soft glare.

"I will see you, then." He said to them both before turning to his papers.

Severus and Harry left the office and stepped on the gargoyle.

"Potter, I would like to speak with you." Severus said just as Harry was about to walk away.

"Now? Sir?" Harry quickly added.

"I know it is late, I will walk you back." Severus said and gestured towards the corridor that led to the dungeons.

Harry looked at him before nodding and following his professor.

Once in Severus' office, Harry stood near his chair. He always sat in the chair on the right side and started referring it as ' _his'_ chair.

"We won't be conversing in here, Potter. Follow me." Severus said and led Harry to a door behind Severus' desk.

He opened them and motioned Harry to step inside. Harry took in a sharp breath at the room.

"These are my living quarters." Severus announced.

The living room was pretty much normal. It had some book cases lined on the walls and one table which held more books. A soft comfortable looking sofa was situated near a fireplace along with 2 armchairs and an ottoman. The coffee table supported the weight of an empty cup, a few scattered papers and a book.

An old gramophone lay in the back corner of the room. Harry was amused at the thought of Snape listening to music.

"Do you listen?" He asked and pointed towards it.

"It is broken." Severus said shortly and move towards an open arch which led to a kitchen.

"This is the kitchen." He stated bluntly. "The corridor on the right leads to 2 rooms, one of which is mine and the other is a store room." He said. Harry was confused as to why Snape was showing him all of this. "Not for long, though. I will start to convert the store room into a bedroom for you."

Harry paled at his words.

"Fo-for me?" He asked.

"Yes, Potter. I did adopt you, didn't I?" Severus rolled his eyes.

"But you don't have to do this. I can stay in the Gryffindor Commons." Harry said, not quite understanding.

"This is your home now, Potter. Regardless of what those _monsters_ taught you, there is a room for one at his house." Severus said.

"I-I…Thank you, sir." Harry said with all sincerity. Severus nodded at him.

"The room will be ready in a while, I am yet to move my things. The small corridor on the left leads to my personal Potions lab, you may enter with my permission. The same goes for my bedroom." Severus said and moved towards the sofa. He took a seat in the armchair across from Harry who plopped himself on the soft looking sofa. Fire burned softly in the grate as Harry nervously shuffled his feet.

"I understand that you have some bruises on you due to the treatment of the Dursleys, some inflicted by them, and some by you." Harry flinched at that. "Potter-"

"Harry." Harry said.

"Excuse me?"

"Harry, sir. I…prefer to be called Harry." Harry said.

Severus raised an eyebrow at him and nodded.

"Alright, Harry." He said. "I would be at ease if you consent for a full physical by my personal Healer." Severus said.

"No! I am fine! I told you!" Harry erupted.

"Po- _Harry_ , you are anything but fine! You are in sixth year and you look like a _fourth_ year! I know this Healer since many years and I trust him. I insist that you submit to a full physical." Severus sat back at that.

Harry gulped and defiantly looked at Severus.

"I am fine." He said.

Severus rolled his eyes and glared at Harry.

"Let me rephrase that, Potter. You _will_ submit to a full physical."

Harry huffed before looking away.

"I won't have you acting like a brat, Harry." Severus warned.

"Fine. May I leave?" Harry asked.

"No, you may not." Severus retorted. "I saw that you hesitated a bit when the Headmaster asked you to tell Granger and Weasley about you living status."

Harry gulped and shifted in his seat.

"Care to tell me what that was about?"

"They don't know anything." Harry said on a hoarse voice.

Severus waited for him to continue.

"I prefer to not tell them."

"Regardless of my thoughts for your friends, I insist that you share this with them." Severus said softly. "It will do you good, Po-Harry. They shall support you."

"I will try, sir." Harry said, not really planning on doing that anytime soon.

"Okay, then. Come on, I will walk you back." Severus stood up.

"I can find my way back, sir. You don't have to-"

"I will not have you roaming the halls at night, Potter. However much of habit that is for you, I resolve to break it."

Harry narrowed his eyes as Snape's back.

The walk to the Gryffindor common room was a quiet one. No sound could be heard except of Snape's boots which Harry was sure had steel base. The portraits whispered when they passed, but one glare from Snape had them running around. Harry smirked at that.

Snape stood back and allowed Harry to give the password to the Common Room.

Before Harry did that, he turned around and looked at his professor.

"Thank you, sir." Harry nodded at him.

"Severus. Good night, Harry." With that, Snape turned around and disappeared in the darkness.

"Severus." Harry whispered to himself before smiling and shaking his head.

His Professor Snape really was something else.

 **A/N: Reviews always get me going faster! Leave one for me?**


	6. Trust

**A/N: Hiya! A guest reviewer asked me if Harry cut for attention, or for making people feel sorry for him. No, that is not the case, he cuts out of frustration and depression and Severus and Albus are by far the only people who know about it. I am sorry if the last chapter portrayed otherwise :)**

 **Here's the next chapter!**

 **Chapter 6 – Trust.**

' _Thud'_

"Huh?" Harry's head jerked up.

"Nothing mate, you just fell asleep again." Ron whispered softly. "For the 6th time."

"Damn it, Ron. Why didn't you wake me up?" Harry asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Tried it for the last 5 times. Didn't work." Ron said and shrugged.

"I think you need some sleep, Harry." Hermione commented from beside Ron.

"You _think_?" Harry asked sarcastically. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in 2 days. The nightmares were always on the bay and he was not that skilled in Occlumency yet.

"I think you should tell Snape too." Hermione said, not at all affected by his curtness.

"And what good would that do?" Harry asked hopelessly, even though he knew Snape would help him.

"Um let's see, considering he's your Occlumency trainer, he might, I don't know, _help_ you?" Hermione hissed and Ron snorted.

"Snape's a git. He won't be capable of teaching his own child how to walk without calling it a dunderhead a thousand times." Ron said. Harry's eye twitched at that and he instantly looked in front where Binns was still droning on about some ancient policy.

"I _still_ think you should ask him." Hermione glared at Ron.

"Hmm." Was all Harry said as he tuned out the lecture and his friends' bickering. His thoughts instantly went over to almost a month ago when Snape had adopted him.

' _Dad would be rolling in his grave, right now.'_ He thought. He hadn't even told Remus. He wondered how the man would react. Considering Harry only knew the man for the past three years, Harry thought that Remus might react positively. ' _Might'_ being the keyword, of course.

Snape had been pretty…parental with him since the adoption. This morning when he arrived a little late in the Great Hall for breakfast, and had just eaten an egg before getting up to leave; a banana and a sausage had automatically made their way in his plate. He had looked at the Head Table and had found Snape looking pointedly at him and then his plate.

Harry smiled at the memory. It was a warm feeling to know that someone cared. Even if that someone was Severus Snape, his least favourite Potions Professor who hated him for the past 5 years of his school life.

/

"Enter."

Harry entered Snape's office and a familiar sight met his eyes. Snape was as usual hunched over some papers with a steaming hot cup of coffee on his right.

Harry plopped in his chair and looked around until Snape addressed him. He was quite relaxed in the man's presence. After all, he had no fear of revealing any secrets; Snape knew almost everything.

Snape finally looked up after 5 minutes and took a long swig of his of drink.

"Doesn't it burn?" Harry couldn't help but ask him as he watched his professor take another sip of the scalding hot liquid.

"Habit." Severus cleared his throat. "What can I do for you?"

"I…um" Harry bit his lip. "It's stupid." He deflated.

Snape raised an eyebrow at him.

"Occlumency is not helping." Harry blurted out.

"What do you mean?"

"Nightmares." Harry whispered and looked everywhere but at Snape.

"Are you not clearing your mind as I taught you?" Severus asked.

"I am! But it's just…" Harry growled in frustration.

"Not working?" Severus supplied.

Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"I haven't slept in 3 days, sir. Forgive me if I come across a bit rude."

Severus suddenly stood up and moved over to his potions cabinet. He took out a brown vial and kept it in front of Harry.

"Dreamless Sleep. One swig before sleeping." He said and leaned on the table beside Harry. He crossed his arms over his chest and studied the young man in front of him.

"I hope you know that this potion is not the answer." Severus said.

"I know. What do you want me to say? I try Occlumency, I try to clear my mind and put up another image like you said, I try _everything_." Harry said miserably.

"You are yet to learn the whole art of Occlumency."

"I know the potion has side effects when taken a lot." Harry said, cleverly avoiding the Occlumency subject.

"Ah yes. You learned that last year when you developed an _inexplicable_ interest in Potions." Severus said lightly.

"It was curiosity, sir." Harry replied, glad for the subject change.

"Whatever lets you sleep at night, Harry. Literally." Severus said and Harry chuckled.

"Thank you, sir." Harry said and stood up.

"Severus. We will try another approach later." Severus said.

"Yes, Severus." Harry said and smiled at the man before leaving.

Severus took a deep breath before easing himself into his chair. He refilled his coffee cup and heated it before taking a small sip out of it.

He wondered at how close the boy had gotten to his heart in a mere month. The boy was shy and at the same time rebellious. Severus shook his head at his own words. He was definitely going soft.

Last week he had his private Healer, Frank Jacoby, have a look at the boy. Frank had told him that Harry was severely malnourished and underweight and his psychological health was not as fit as someone who is 16 years old. Severus rubbed a hand over his face.

Frank had advised him to talk with Harry about his problems and nightmares and possibly his time with the Dursleys. Severus was unsure whether Harry would open up to him about that.

Harry's suicidal tendencies were something that Frank had not talked a lot about. He had just told Severus to note the behavior of the boy and what usually caused him to resort to such self- destructive behavior. He had deduced that now that Harry had someone to rely on, he would most probably stop cutting.

Harry was also to take a nutrition potion every Sunday which Severus brewed for him.

The old man sighed as he looked back at his life before he adopted Harry. He would lounge in his huge house all day in the summer, making potions and pestering Sebastian. However much of an annoying prick Sebastian was, Severus had to admit that he missed his brother. Sebastian was a year younger than him but it never mattered. They were always close as children, and even now.

Severus made up his mind and hauled himself out of his desk chair and into his private quarters. He sat on his sofa and summoned a parchment and a paper to write a letter to his brother.

 _Dear Sebastian,_

 _I hope you are in better health than I saw you last time this summer, which was drunk. Wherever you are in this whole bloody world, I would like to see you. I have some important news which might interest you._

 _It's time you return to your duties and stop strutting around with women, brother. Inform me of your whereabouts so I don't have to search for you all over the Pacific. And I will not be freeing you out of some muggle jail again, this time._

 _Write me. Fast._

 _Your brother,_

 _Severus Snape_

Severus didn't bother to read the letter once more and rolled it up before stashing it in his daily mail which he usually sent before breakfast.

He stood up, stretched, and popped some bones in his neck before continuing in his bedroom to sleep off the day.

/

Harry waited till Ron and his other dorm-mates had gone to bed before slowly opening his bed side drawer and taking out the potion vial Snape had given him. He looked at the vial and sighed. He then opened it with a soft pop and took a long sip out of it. It tasted like mucus and Harry gagged, trying to force the vicious liquid down his throat.

He closed the vial and deposited it back in his drawer. A small metallic clang was heard as he did so. He put his hand in the drawer again and took out the blade he had nicked from Dean's muggle shaving kit. His urge to cut intensified the longer he held the blade and his hand shook.

' _I would like to you think about the people that matter the most in your life before you cut.'_ Snape's voice from 5 days ago rang in his ears.

Harry gulped before throwing the blade in the drawer and closing it with a thud. He laid down, his breathing ragged. He closed his eyes as the potion kicked in and his death grip on his pillow slackened. He fell asleep strangely thinking about a certain black robed Potions Master.

/

The next day Harry woke up refreshed. He stretched with a smile before parting his curtains. He felt mentally fresh and made a note to thank Snape later.

"You look good." Ron commented as he put on his shirt.

"I feel good." Harry grinned at him before going to the bathroom.

They walked down to the common room to find Hermione talking animatedly with Parvati Patil.

"You ready?" Her expression turned to a confused one as she looked at Harry's smiling face. "That's a first." She said.

Harry rolled his eyes before exiting the common room. "I do have good days, Herms!" He said.

/

Severus watched with hawk like eyes as his charge entered the Great Hall. He looked unusually refreshed. Severus raised an amused eyebrow when Harry gave him a grin.

' _Looks like the potion worked wonders for the boy.'_ Severus thought.

Harry's appetite was also good today, and Severus was grateful for that. He had seen the boy miss many meals and was still in conflict as to what he could do to prevent that.

"Harry looks good today." Albus commented from beside him.

"He's been having nightmares." Severus told him. "Occlumency is still new to him, his defenses are weak."

"That's understandable." Albus nodded.

"Good morning, Severus, Headmaster." Remus greeted them as he took a seat on Albus' right.

"Good morning, Remus!"

"Lupin." Severus nodded. He had thought a lot on the issue to telling Remus that he had adopted Harry. When consulted with Albus, he had beamed at him and told him to go for it. Severus didn't want to do anything before asking Harry, so he had held back.

"Remus, I wanted to ask you if you were free this Saturday?" Albus asked the man.

"I am." Remus nodded as he made his tea.

"Pomona has to go out this weekend, so there is no one who could supervise the Hogsmead visit. Would you be willing to volunteer?"

"Of course, Albus. I don't mind." Remus smiled at that man.

"Great!"

Severus sneered at their jovial conversation.

Just then Harry stood up with his friends and went out of the Hall. Severus sighed as he sat back.

Why does his heart always feel a bit uncomfortable whenever the boy leaves his sight?

/

"Mr. Potter." Minerva stopped Harry after his Transfiguration class. "Please wait for a moment."

Hermione and Ron gave him questioning looks before going out.

When the class was empty, Minerva walked over towards Harry and stood before him.

"Albus told me about Severus adopting you." She started. "I have to say I was a bit surprised, Harry."

Harry nodded.

"Understood." He said with a wry chuckle.

"You know I will always be here if you need to talk, don't you?" She said.

"I know, Professor."

Minerva put her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

"Severus is a good man, Harry. He looks hard and cold on the outside, but he is a very good man." She said. "I am glad he took you in. You both need each other."

Harry looked at her and slowly bobbed his head.

"He's the first one to tell me that he cares." Harry whispered.

"Believe me, he does. And, so do we." She patted his shoulder. "Now, when are you scheduling the Quidditch tryouts? I suggest you do it soon, the Quidditch season starts next month."

Harry rubbed his forehead.

"I wanted to talk to you about that, Professor." He started. "I-I don't think I can handle the responsibility of a Quidditch Captain."

"Harry, you are the best player Gryffindor has seen after your father. Even though you didn't know James, your tactics are so much like him that I have seen Remus scream out his name by mistake, instead of yours." Minerva said. "I chose you to be the captain for a reason, and I will put you in detention for the whole year if you undermine yourself."

Harry chuckled at her and nodded.

"I will schedule them for next week." He said.

"Good. Give me the exact date and I will put up the notice and book the pitch."

"I will, Professor."

"Take care, Harry." Minerva said as Harry went out the door.

"Quidditch. Next week." Harry told Ron as soon as he came out.

" _What_? Harry! On such a short notice!" Ron panicked. "I need to practice my defense and my swing too. Oh, god my broom needs polishing and-"

"Ron! You have a week." Harry said and laughed at his friend's expression.

"It's still less!" He countered. Hermione rolled her eyes at her boyfriend.

"What are you rolling your eyes for? I don't say anything when you panic 2 weeks before exams even though you are done with everything!" Ron said.

"Stop comparing Quidditch and Exams." Hermione said.

"Exactly. Quidditch is so much better." Ron muttered and Harry snickered as Hermione glared at him before snatching her Transfiguration notes form Ron's hand and stalking ahead.

"Remember what I told you in our first year, Harry?"

"What?"

"She's mental."

They laughed all their way to Charms.

/

Harry nervously played with his tie as he stood in front of Snape's quarters. He had always been invited before, but today, he was going unannounced. Harry wondered if Snape would yell at him or kill him first.

Hermione and Ron had gone out to the Black Lake to get some privacy, leaving Harry alone and bored. He decided to visit Severus to cure his boredom. He was pretty confident till now, but now he was having second thoughts.

He took a shaky breath before putting his hand up for knocking. Just as his hands touched the door, it opened. Harry blink in shock. He slowly stepped inside. The living room was vacant, and so was the kitchen. A used pot of coffee was kept on the table. Harry touched it and realized it was hot, so Snape must be home.

"Sir?" Harry called out. Without getting a response, he moved over to Snape's personal bedroom. The door was opened and Harry peeked inside. The room was dark and Harry could barely make out Snape's bed. Finding nothing, he was prepared to leave when he remembered that Snape must be in his lab. Having nothing to lose, Harry decided to knock on the lab door.

He could see a beam of light coming from beneath the closed door. Heavy footsteps sounded on the floor and the door flung open.

"I wondered when you would find me." Severus said as he beckoned the boy inside.

"You knew I was here?" Harry asked. "How did the door open for me?"

"I keyed you to the wards. Just touch the door and it opens for you." Severus replied as he led Harry to his work station. "And I always know who enters my quarters, Harry."

Harry nodded as he took in Snape's lab. The room was magically enlarged to hold thousands of cauldrons and spatulas and million jars of ingredients.

"Wow." Harry breathed.

"I am making Lupin's next batch of Wolfsbane. Care to help?" Severus' drawl reached his ears and he reluctantly peeled his eyes away from the various names of ingredients that he was examining.

"Yeah, sure." He put down his bag in a corner before rolling his sleeves up. He was pretty comfortable in Snape's presence and didn't hesitate when Snape cast an examining look at his wrists. He grinned and showed them to him.

"It's been a week." He stated proudly.

"Very good." Severus gave him a small smile and patted his shoulder.

"I have been having urges, though." Harry admitted in a small voice.

Severus put his hand on Harry's shoulder and made the boy look at him.

"You are resisting the urges, Harry, that's real accomplishment." Severus said. "I am…glad that I am not seeing any new cuts."

Harry smiled at him.

"Is that your way of saying you are proud of me and that I am the best?" Harry grinned childishly.

Severus narrowed his eyes at the boy before giving him a soft head slap.

"Get to work." Severus said sharply, but Harry could see his lips tugged in a small smile.

It was when Harry took some roots to chop, that he noticed the soft music playing in the room. He looked around trying to find a source when Severus answered his unasked question.

"It's a muggle radio behind you." He said as he stirred the green concoction.

Harry looked behind and saw a small black radio with his antenna pulled up.

"Magic doesn't interfere with the signal?"

"No. I charmed it." Severus said.

Harry gave it one amusing look before getting back to his work. In this last month, Harry had noticed a lot of things about Snape that had shook his world. Severus loved listening to muggle music and simply _hated_ the wizarding one. Severus took coffee in the morning and in the afternoon, but preferred Earl Grey or Oolong tea in the evening. Severus hated spinach and carrots and he never touched a plate having those items on them. Harry had also noticed that Severus loved chicken and could eat it every day for every meal for the rest of his life.

He finished cutting up the roots and handed them to the Potions Master who made a humming noise. Harry knew that it meant he had down a good job.

"Can you boil these for me?" Severus handed him some flowers and pointed to a pot in front of the boy.  
They worked in silence for a while before Harry broke it.

"You didn't ask why I am here."

"You don't require a reason to be here, Harry. This is your home whenever you are at Hogwarts." Severus said.

Harry looked at him and licked his lips.

"Ron and Hermione were away." He said, knowing that Severus didn't have any interest in that.

"That is…riveting." Severus said without looking up. "How are your nightmares?"

"I finished the potion the day before yesterday."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Harry purposely tried to give his full attention to the petals of the flower he was boiling.

"The petals can boil on their own without needing your full attention." Severus said and crossed his hands on his chest as he leaned on the table beside his boiling cauldron.

Harry sighed and looked down.

"They are…fine." He shrugged.

"You don't have to lie to me." Severus said.

"I need the potion to sleep." Harry said and fixed his eyes on his adoptive father.

"You know you cannot have more than one vial in a month." Severus said.

"Yes, I know." Harry responded darkly and turned down the burner and started taking the petals out.

"We can try…a different technique." Severus said as he went to his cauldron again. Harry's head snapped at him questioningly.

"It is a bit difficult, but we can make it work, until you master Occlumency." Severus' eyes were glued to the liquid in the cauldron.

"What is it?" Harry asked him. As soon as the liquid turned a soft shade of blue, Severus outstretched his hand towards Harry who deposited the petals in them and watched as the older man, with practiced ease, put them in the boiling potion at the right time.

"An Occlumency technique." Severus' eyebrows relaxed a bit and Harry took that the potion was turning out well.

"What do you need from me?"

Severus' intense gaze turned to Harry.

"Your trust." He said.

Harry raised his chin and with determined voice answered.

"You have it."


	7. Warming Up

**Chapter 7- Warming up**

" _You have it."_

As soon as Severus heard those words, he let out a breath that he was unknowingly holding in.

"I am honored." Severus said and bowed his head a little.

"So, what new technique?" Harry asked him as he drummed his fingers against the polished surface of the table.

Severus cleared his throat as he put a Charm on the potion which would keep it stasis. He pulled out another cauldron before setting it up on a new table beside his own.

"As I said before, it's an Occlumency technique." Severus said. "I will enter your mind and put up strong defenses, or rather, strengthen your defenses."

"You will _enter_ my mind?" Harry asked him in disbelief.

"That is why I require your trust. I need you to give me full access to your mind for those few minutes." Severus said while staring at the boy.

Harry appeared to be thinking for a minute before he spoke.

"What defenses can you put up in my head?" He asked.

"You use a Quidditch memory as a defense."

"Used to." Harry said nonchalantly.

"Excuse me?" Severus narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"I _used_ to use Quidditch. But I realized that it wasn't working, so I use another." Harry said.

"What do you use now?" Severus asked him.

"What do _you_ use?" Harry countered.

"I am not the one suffering from nightmares due to weak defenses." Severus said shrewdly.

Harry held his gaze for a moment before deflating,

"a few days ago, I realized that a memory of a muggle swing works better from me." He said.

"A muggle swing?"

"Yeah, it's kind of seat hung by-"

"I know what a muggle swing is, Potter!" Severus snapped. Harry looked taken aback by the sudden reaction.

"Oh. Okay. Well, I used to spend hours sitting on it when I was at the Dursleys. It helps." Harry said. "I can _feel_ that it's stronger than the Quidditch one."

"You are a strange one, Mr. Potter." Severus stated.

"I know." Harry grinned at him. "So, what exactly will you do?"

"I will ask you to put up your defense. Once you have done so, I will enter and strengthen your picture of the…muggle playground." Severus said.

"You don't like muggle playgrounds?" Harry asked him, noticing the underlying tone.

"They are good for children." Severus said without giving away anything.

"You never liked them?" Harry asked him. Severus shook his head.

"Quite the contrary, I have many good memories in a muggle playground." Severus said. Harry gave him a questioning look.

"I met your mother in a muggle playground near our house." Severus said in a strained voice. Harry's green eyes filled with curiosity and sadness.

"You don't have to tell me." He said.

"I will." Severus said. "Eventually."

"Okay."

Harry watched as Severus finished cleaning the worktop.

"Madame Pomfrey ran out of Skele-Grow. I will instruct, you make it." Severus said and summoned a number of ingredients and put them on the new table.

Harry's eyebrows shot up at the command.

"It's a NEWT potion." He said, but moved over to the cauldron nonetheless.

"And that matters how?" Severus raised an eyebrow at him.

"Just saying." Harry shrugged.

"I saw you reading the books required to become a Healer." Severus said conversationally.

Harry started the flame under the cauldron and put some water in it.

"Hermione wants to become some kind of curse researcher for the Ministry. Ron is going to try out as an Auror." He said as he started cutting up some slugs.

"Be careful, don't cut out it's stomach." Severus said. "And you are still confused about what you want to do?"

"I thought of becoming an Auror too, but I don't think I can handle any more of the killing." A coat of sweat formed on Harry' head as he said this. "I am not even sure if I'll live because Voldemort-"

He was cut off as Severus moved forward and took the knife from his hands before holding the boy at an arm's distance.

"You will _not_ talk about dying in this house. You are braver and _stronger_ than that monster, Harry. Don't _ever_ let me hear you talk like this again." He said in a dangerous voice.

"Yes sir. Sorry sir." Harry said and Snape let go.

"Start washing the toad eyes." Harry obeyed and put the toad eyes in a fresh bowl of water.

"So you are thinking of becoming a healer?" Severus asked and added the chopped slugs in the cauldron.

"No. I was _exploring_ the option of becoming a healer." Harry said.

"So you _are_ interested in becoming a healer."

"Why are _you_ so interested in what _I_ am interested in becoming?" Harry narrowed his eyes at the older man.

"Because I adopted you." Severus said. Harry felt the familiar feeling of belongingness in his stomach and he smiled softly as he peered in the cauldron.

"I am…fascinated by the profession." Harry said as he returned to his toad eyes. "5 will do?"

"7." Severus said briskly. "I am a certified healer, you know."

"You are?" Harry eyed him. "I didn't know."

"You need a Healer's Certification before you become a Potions Master." Severus explained and performed some spell to make the potion deep red.

"So you can work in St. Mungo's too, if you want?" Harry asked.

"I can. Although I choose to help Madame Pomfrey in the infirmary sometimes."

"I know it's none of my business, but I am pretty sure St. Mungo's pays much better to a healer than Hogwarts pays to a teacher." Harry said as he banished the remains of the cut of slugs.

"You're right." Severus nodded.

"I am?" Harry looked at him skeptically.

"It _is_ none of your business." Harry rolled his eyes at the man before adding some blue liquid to the potion.

The duo worked precisely with Harry preparing and adding ingredients and Severus correcting him and performing necessary spells.

"So you live alone?" Harry started a conversation.

"Mostly." Severus said.

"Girlfriends?"

Severus raised an eyebrow at Harry.

"Boyfriends?"

Severus closed his eyes before blatantly ignoring the boy.

"I won't mind." Harry shrugged.

"I don't date." Severus said immediately.

"You don't?"

"I am well past that stage."

Harry snorted at that.

"No one is past the stage of dating." He said.

"Are we really going to ponder more over this matter?" Severus asked snidely.

"Why no-"

"Because I'd rather have you out of these quarters than doing that." Severus said dismissively.

"Right. Sorry." Harry said and returned to his potion.

"I have a brother." Severus said after a while. Harry's eyes widened and he looked at Severus in disbelief.

"Why is it so hard to believe that I have a sibling like a normal human being?" Severus drawled.

" _No_ -I mean- It's not-" Harry spluttered and Severus put up a hand to stop his inane way of salvaging the situation.

"It is alright."

"I am sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that you don't look like a sibling bloke." The young wizard shrugged.

Severus gave a rich laugh at that.

"Sibling bloke? That's a first. Sebastian will love that." He said.

"So that's his name? Sebastian?" Harry asked, wanting to know more about his potential ' _Uncle'_.

"Yes."

"He's younger than you?"

"Yes, by a year. Stir it clockwise now."

Harry did as he asked before questioning Severus again.

"Where is he?"

"I have no idea." Severus said and threw in some cloves.

"He doesn't work?" Harry asked.

"Enough with the questions, Harry." Severus said. "Now let it simmer for 3 hours."

"You will have to add the Salamander Blood." Harry said while cleaning the worktop. He was a bit annoyed by Snape not answering his questions properly.

' _So much for having a family.'_ He thought as he packed his bag.

"I will see you later, sir." He said. Severus looked up from the book he was perusing.

"You can have dinner here, if you want." He said.

Harry shook his head.

"I…need to meet Neville before dinner." He lied. Severus narrowed his eyes but nodded.

Just as Harry was about to open the door to the lab, Severus called him.

"I will answer all your questions eventually, Harry. You have to understand that I am not used to sharing things with people." Harry looked at him. "All of this is… quite new to me."

"Me too." Harry gave him a half smile before going out.

/

"Where were you?" Hermione asked Harry as soon as he took a seat beside her in the Great Hall.

"I was…doing some work." Harry said and served himself a scoop of mashed potatoes.

"Work? What work?" Hermione's eyes narrowed at his words.

"Just work, Hermione! Drop it!" Harry said snappily.

"Whoa, what's up with you mate?" Ron asked him.

Harry rubbed his forehead and dropped his fork. He could feel a headache coming on.

"I am sorry. I just…I am not feeling that good." He said.

"Maybe you are just hungry." Hermione said. "Eat."

"I am tired. I am going to head to bed early." Harry pushed his untouched plate away before fetching his bag and standing up.

"At least have some chicken." Ron said as he watched his friend stand up.

"I am not hungry, Ron. I will see you guys tomorrow." With that, he stood up and left.

"He's hiding something." Hermione said.

"100 points to Gryffindor." Ron said sarcastically.

"Why do I have the feeling that whatever he is hiding somehow relates to Snape." Hermione said in a low voice and sneakily pointed to the Head Table.

Ron turned his head towards the pointed direction and saw Snape shooting looks at the door through which his friend had just left. He almost looked…concerned.

"That's strange." He commented.

"I am going to ask him tomorrow." Hermione said determinedly.

"I will lose my hopes of getting into the Quidditch team if he agrees to tell you." Ron said as he ate his food.

"Like you are ever going to do that." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Exactly my point, Herms." Ron grinned at her chilly glare.

/

The next morning Harry woke up feeling a little refreshed. He was tired the day before by making potions and had slept like a log for 4 hours until the nightmares had decided that he had had enough bliss.

He rubbed his eyes and stretched before getting out of bed. Ron's bed was empty.

' _Probably with Hermione.'_ Harry thought and made his way over to the bathroom. The boys from his dormitory had already left, he passed Neville on his way in the bathroom and nodded in greeting.

He opened his toiletries bag and looked inside. There it was. Shining in the morning light, just beside his shampoo. Harry carefully picked it up and examined its sharp blade. The sight of the razor blade always tempted him. But somehow, a small voice in his head always interrupted him. A part of his brain always made up scenarios whenever he thought of cutting himself.

A scene where he would be sitting with Snape, drinking coffee and laughing over something. A third person joined them this time, he couldn't see the man's face, but he knew he was family.

' _Uncle Seb!'_ His imagined counterpart would exclaim and hug the man.

"... _Harry_? Harry!" A voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked behind him. Ron was standing fully dressed looking at him and then the blade in his hand.

"I was thinking of shaving." Harry lied pathetically and waved the blade.

"With a _blade_!? Aren't you a wizard?" Ron asked him in disbelief.

"Well I don't exactly have a male role model to show me how." Harry shrugged his shoulders and dropped the blade in the bag again.

"You are soft as a bum, Harry. You don't need a shave." Ron laughed as he ran his hand over Harry's chin. "Get dressed, me and Herms are waiting for you downstairs." He said and left the bathroom.

Harry watched as the door closed before sighing deeply. Life was becoming monotonous.

A thought suddenly popped in his head and his eyes shined brightly.

He quickly brushed his teeth and got dressed before running downstairs.

"Hey slow down!" A girl yelled at him on the stairs but he ignored her.

"You guys go down to the Great Hall. I'll meet you there in a while." He told Ron and Hermione.

"Where are you going?" Hermione yelled after him.

"McGonagall." He yelled back.

"Is this about the Quidditch tryouts? Hey!" Ron hollered, but Harry was already out of the common room.

"I don't get him sometimes." Ron said.

"Welcome to the club, Ronald." Hermione said before going out with Ron following her.

/

Harry knew McGonagall always came to breakfast 20 minutes before it ended, and could be found in her office before that. He skidded to a halt in front of it before knocking. The door opened to reveal a sight that confused Harry.

"Mr. Potter." McGonagall nodded at him.

"Morning, Professor." Harry said but his curious green eyes rested on the figure sitting in front of Minerva "Professor Snape."

"Harry." Snape inclined his head.

"What can I do for you Mr. Potter.?" McGonagall asked him, her eyes roaming between the other two occupants of the room.

"I was here to tell you that I will be holding the Quidditch tryouts this Saturday, ma'am." Harry said, shooting curious glances towards Snape.

"Of course, I will book the pitch and attach the notice on the notice board in the Common Room."

"Thank you, ma'am." Harry said, still looking at Snape. The older man rolled his eyes before turning around and addressing the boy.

"Can't two colleagues sit together and have a cup of tea, Mr. Potter?" He asked calmly. Harry blinked at that before nodding his head.

"Sure…I am sorry. I…uh…I should leave." He said and backed out of the room.

"I expect to see you in my office before dinner, Harry." Severus called out to him before he left.

He turned around again to meet a smirking Minerva.

"What?" He snapped.

"You've warmed up to the boy." She said.

"Mind your own business, woman."

"I knew it. He's grown on you." She was fully grinning now.

"Why do I feel like you and Dumbledore spend too much time together." Severus muttered darkly.

"Now _that,_ is our business to mind, Severus." Minerva said pointedly. Severus smirked before getting up.

"Shall I expect small sugar high devils bouncing off Hogwarts' walls in a year or two." He said from the door and effectively dodged the flying inkpot that was thrown his way with a victorious grin.

' _What better than starting your day with annoying the Gryffindor cat?' He_ smirked to himself before walking off with a slight bounce in his steps.

Just slight.

/

"You are late." Severus observed as soon as Harry burst through his office door.

"I got caught up in some work." Harry panted and fell down in the nearest chair.

"I do not appreciate being lied to, Harry." Severus said and looked up for the first time since Harry had entered the room. He kept his quill down and flexed his fingers before pinning the boy with a steel gaze.

Harry gulped and wiped a drop of sweat from his brow.

Severus waved his hand and a goblet of water was sitting in front of Harry which he graciously downed.

"I ran all the way over here." Harry said in a way of explanation.

"The truth, Harry." Severus reminded him.

"I was…" Harry sighed. "I was trying to get rid of Ron and Hermione."

Severus raised an eyebrow.

"You haven't told them." It was a statement.

Harry licked his lips.

"I…haven't had time to do that." He said and tapped his legs against the stone floor.

"Detention, Mr. Potter, for lying repeatedly to your professor!" Snape snapped.

"I am…" Harry started.

"I want you to tell me the truth in my presence, Harold James. Whatever it is." Snape said with a threatening finger.

"I am sorry."

Snape nodded.

"I am scared." Harry said. "I know it's stupid, you don't have to grind me-"

"It is stupid and senseless." Severus nodded in agreement and Harry glared at him.

"Thank you." Harry said sardonically.

"You should tell them."

"What good would it do? Hermione will smile awkwardly at me and Ron would go on spouting all kinds of things that would indicate how wrong my choice was and how-"

"Do you regret it?" Severus asked him suddenly. Harry's head snapped up at the man.

"What- _No_! I don't! Are you insane? You are the first person in my life who _cared_ enough to _care_ , Severus! I would never _ever_ regret this!" Harry cried out and spread out his hands.

"Then why are you afraid of your friends' judgements?" The question cut Harry like a knife and he looked down.

"I don't know." He shrugged.

Severus leaned back and crossed his legs.

"I will try to tell them."

Severus stared at him.

"As soon as possible."

Severus' stare intensified.

"I _will_ tell them." Harry said in defeat.

Severus' lip twitched a little as he looked at the boy.

"Good. Care for some tea?" He asked him and stood up.

"I thought you called me here for Occlumency." Harry said as he followed the man into their personal quarters.

"Your Occlumency has improved a lot. You need to try breathing techniques before going to bed to clear your mind and improve your defenses. You _know_ Occlumency, you just need to master it. All I can do is help you when you ask for it." Severus explained as Harry took his usual seat on the sofa and he sat in the armchair in front of him.

A tray with some tea was delivered and they both hastily took the warm liquid. The weather outside was chilly, and the first snow was expected to fall soon.

They both sat talking until Severus ordered some dinner for them. They ate and talked and laughed. Harry hadn't had such a good conversation with anyone.

"I still can't believe you are crazy about Quidditch." Harry said in disbelief.

"I tried out for the Slytherin team in my third year." Severus said proudly. He was enjoying his time with Harry, something he had never thought he would say.

"You're kidding." Harry jumped in his seat.

"I am not. I was selected on spot." Severus smirked proudly.

"You played for Slytherin?"

"Just for a year. My mother restricted me to play in my fourth year. Said I should concentrate on my studies." Severus said bitterly.

"Bad memories?" Harry asked.

"My mother wasn't technically a loving one." Severus said as he took a sip from his customary late night cup of tea.

"I wouldn't know the difference." Harry said as he stared in the fire. Somewhere between their talks, he had made himself comfortable by removing his shoes and putting his feet up on the sofa.

"Petunia was always jealous of magic." Severus said.

"I know." Harry said. "She always gave long weird looks to me, encouraged Dudley to put me down or beat me when I was small."

Severus listened carefully at his charge's words.

"Your uncle never interfered?"

"He did. He used to say- _'Dud, that's no way of treating your freakish cousin. Get the rod I keep in the garage and I'll show you.'_ " Harry gave a short laugh.

"That was no way of treating you." Severus said firmly.

Harry nodded but didn't look at the man. Severus could see the tears in his eyes as he avoided his gaze.

He made a decision and stood up and sat beside the boy. He laid a tentative hand on the boy's shoulder and captured Harry's attention.

"No one deserves what you went through, Harry. _You_ definitely never deserved it." He said. A small sob escaped Harry and Severus put and arm around him. He was rewarded when small hands flew around his neck and Harry buried his head in his chest. Severus sat still shocked for a few seconds before tentatively holding the boy.

"All I wanted was a normal family." Harry cried.

"I know, I know." Severus said as he pulled the boy closer. "I don't have a family to give you, Harry. But I have love and a home to share with you."

"That's all I need." Harry said. His crying slowly reduced to sniffling and he sat up straight. "I am sorry." He said, embarrassed by his behavior.

"Don't be." Severus said.

"Your room is ready." He said in a lighter note.

"It is?" Harry eyes lit up.

"Follow me." Severus said and led him to a door opposite to his own bedroom.

Harry slowly opened the door and the lamps flickered on. A grin broke out on his face as he saw the room.

"It is quite bare, but you are welcome to add your personal effects." Severus said. He was waiting for the boy's reaction.

"This is amazing! Thank you so much, Severus!" Harry exclaimed as he looked around the room. A single bed was pushed to the right corner of the room and a mahogany desk was situated at the left. A huge window was carved in front of his desk. It was currently showing the aquatic life.

"I have put a charm on the window. You can think of whatever you want and it will show you." Severus explained. "Try it."

Harry threw him a cautious glance before moving towards the window.

"Close your eyes and think of a place." Severus instructed.

Harry closed his eyes and opened them after a few seconds, smiling at the sight in front of him.

"The Tower bridge of London." Severus said as he took in the beautiful sight of London city which was lit by lights in the night.

"I always wanted to visit." Harry said. "What if I open the window?"

Severus smirked and opened the window. Cold breeze washed inside caressing Harry face as he stood gaping at it.

"What did you expect? The Black Squid?" Severus chuckled.

Harry's eyes watered as he looked at Severus.

"Thank you again, Severus. This…this is wonderful." He said. Severus put a hand on his cheek and patted it. "You deserve wonderful." He said to the boy before stepping back.

"You can sleep in here, if you want." He offered.

Harry shook his head.

"Not today. I promised Ron I'd help him with his Charms homework." Harry said. "I should leave."

"You are always welcome down here." Severus said as he followed Harry to the front door. "You can almost be called an honorary Slytherin." He smirked.

Harry threw a nasty glare at him.

"And what does that make you? An honorary Gryffindor?" He asked and took great pleasure when Severus' smirk fell and his face twisted into bitter expression.

"I did not think this through." He muttered and Harry laughed.

"Good night, Severus."

"Good night, Harry." Severus said and watched as the boy disappeared in the corridor.

 **A/N: I try really hard to keep Severus in his character, but sometimes, even Severus can be a little fluffy! ;P**


	8. Truth

**Chapter 8- Truth**

Severus was ecstatic as he walked back to his quarters after a particularly tiring day of classes. It was quite unusual for him to be in such a good mood after such a day, unless he was having dinner with Harry, which was not regular. He opened the door to his quarters with a slight smile before throwing his cloak on the armchair and falling down on the sofa in a very ungraceful manner.

"Wow. You really are a messy person." Severus half sat up to look as Harry appeared from the corridor.

"Only when I am alone." Severus commented convivially.

"No. You being messy means you are in a good mood." Harry said knowingly.

"Well that, I am. Anything I can do for you?" Severus asked him.

"No, I just came down to get my Potions textbook." He waved a very old copy of the book at Severus.

"You still haven't gotten a new one from Flourish and Blotts?" Severus frowned as he loosened his shoe laces.

"Nah, I cancelled the order after I got this from the Room of Hidden Objects." Harry shrugged.

"Oh goody." Severus said and kicked his shoes over to the fireplace.

"Are you drunk?" Harry solemnly asked the man, remembering all the times Severus had chided him for throwing his shoes.

"I don't drink before 9 in the evening." Severus told him. "And if you must know, I got a letter from Sebastian." Severus said with a happy tone. "And I am hoping for him to be in some kind of trouble."

"Why are you hoping for your own brother to be in some trouble?" Harry asked, baffled by the talk.

"It's a long story. One that involves me getting paid every time he lands himself in some muggle jail for some felony." Severus said pleasantly.

"I am not sure if you both are loving brothers or evil siblings." Harry mused as he moved towards the quarters' door.

"Oh Harry, if only you knew." Severus said with a short chuckle.  
"I am not sure if I want to." Harry muttered as he left.

Severus sighed happily before lying down on the sofa with his feet propped up on the armrest. He took out a letter from his pocket before opening it.

 _Dear Severus,_

 _I am not gallivanting around the world, as you so_ _ **eloquently**_ _put it. Really Sev, who uses that kind of language anymore? Only dad did. Anyways, I met a beautiful woman called Sarah in Bahamas. She was the one, Sev! I knew it in my gut._

Severus snorted at that.'Every girl you meet is THE one, Seb.'

 _Unfortunately, she stopped responding to my calls._

Severus chuckled at that.

 _I am quite curious to know what this important news must be. I am currently in Belfast, trying to sign up a deal with O'Malley Potion Care. Will come home for Christmas. I miss you, brother. Hope to see you soon. And no money for you this time, didn't get caught by the police once._

Severus could literally hear the proud grin in his brother's writing.

 _Take care of yourself._

 _Your loving brother,_

 _Sebastian Snape_

Severus chortled at the end before depositing the letter on the coffee table and closing his eyes. As much of a pain in the arse his brother was, Severus couldn't help but be eager for the man's arrival.

/

Harry whistled as he walked back to the Gryffindor common room. Seeing Severus in a good mood had elevated his own. He even nodded civilly at Draco Malfoy who was standing near the Grand Staircase with his goons.

He took two steps at a time and practically bounced to the common room. He gave the password before entering and sitting beside his friends in his previously occupied seat.

His smile dropped off his face as he noticed the looks Hermione and Ron were giving him.

"What?" He asked.

"Harry, we need to talk." Hermione said seriously. Ron nodded from beside her and Harry felt like a child getting some reprimanding from his parents.

Ron slowly took out a small vial from his robe pocket and showed it to Harry.

"Where did you get this from, mate?" He asked him. Harry noticed with a passive face that it was the vial of Dreamless Sleep he had gotten from Snape.

"Madame Pomfery." He said smoothly and snatched the bottle from Ron's hand.

"Liar." Hermione snapped. "Infirmary's bottles have a Hogwarts' crest and the name of the student along with when it was issued to them."

Leave it to Hermione to notice all the details. Harry sighed as Snape's words rang in his head.

' _You have to tell them at some point, Harry.'_

"What's going on with you, Harry?" Hermione asked with genuine concern. "You've been acting really weird from the starting. We know that we've not been spending time together as we did last year because of me and Ron dating, but we still care about you Harry. Have we done something wrong? If yes, please tell us, we are worried, Harry." There were tears in her eyes at the end of her small speech.

"Yeah, mate. You don't eat, you don't talk, you don't sleep. You smuggle potions from god knows where. Talk to us, Harry." Ron said with a hint of desperation in his voice.

Harry looked at them before making his decision.

"Follow me." He said and heaved his bag on his shoulder.

Hermione and Ron gave him strange looks before getting up.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked him once they were out of the Common Room.

"Room of Requirement." He answered before leading the way.

The walk to the Seventh Floor was a quiet one and no one dared to speak.

Harry closed his eyes as they neared the room and directly opened the door to a warm looking living room.

"You have some fine details." Ron commented as he looked around.

"I've seen this room enough to not get it wrong." Harry muttered and took a seat on the armchair opposite to the fireplace.

"Sit down." He told his friends. Three bottles of butterbeer appeared on the table and Harry handed them around.

"Whatever I will tell you now, you must not repeat it to anyone." Harry started. "Now, I know that you both would disagree on my decision, but I assure you beforehand, I am very happy with it."

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked him but Harry held up a hand to stop him.

"Don't interrupt me while I tell you. I assure you, I will tell you the truth." He said. "Trust me."

His friends nodded.

"As you both know, my home life hasn't always been exactly…ideal." He gulped. "This year, it wasn't any different." He took a sip of his beer before continuing.

"I always said that the Dursleys hated me, but I never told you how much." He said. "Uncle Vernon started…beating me when I was around 14." Hermione gasped loudly and Ron held her hand. They looked at him with surprise but didn't interrupt. "I know I should have told you, but I was too embarrassed and... scared." He stated. "Anyways, after Sirius' death, it got worse. I never told anyone, not even Dumbledore. I was particularly dreading Occlumency because I thought Snape would see my memories and ridicule me. But mostly I didn't want anyone to find out." He ran hand through his hair. "I started reading Occlumency books days before my first class. I knew I couldn't keep him from watching my memories, but I hoped to keep him at bay from the ones I didn't want him to snoop around." He was silent for a few seconds.

"Nightmares and lack of sleep…disturbed my focus." Ron and Hermione were listening intently.

"And I couldn't concentrate on my defenses. Snape penetrated my wall and…and saw everything."

"What a bastard!" Ron burst out.

Harry smiled sadly at his reaction.

"Quite the opposite, Ron." He said. "I ran out of his office, not wanting to look at his face. I ran and came over here, in the Room of Requirement. He followed me and spoke to me."

"About?" Hermione asked him.

"He told me I…never deserved such treatment and…scolded me for not telling anyone." He told her. "He even gave me a salve for the bruises."

"Snape did that?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"Yes. He's not what he looks like, Ron. He's a good person." Harry told him.

"Harry, does Dumbledore know?" Hermione asked him.

"Yes. Snape told him after I gave him the permission to tell."

"Surely he's not sending you back." Ron said doubtfully.

"No." Harry cleared his throat. "He…removed me from the Dursleys care."

"Thank god. I was ready to go over and give him a piece of my mind right now." Hermione said with a huff.

"Harry, you can live with us at the Burrow, mate. Mum and dad already consider you as a part of the family." Ron said.

"I know, Ron. But I can't." Harry licked his lips.

"Why? Will you be staying at Hogwarts then? Is Remus going to-"

"Snape adopted me." Harry interrupted the red head.

There was nothing but hard silence in the room after that. Hermione was looking at Harry as if she was examining a bug under a microscope and Ron was gaping at him with wide eyes.

"Snape adopted me." Harry said again, a bit slowly.

"Harry…" Hermione started.

"No, Hermione. I know you disagree, but as I said at the beginning, it was the right decision to make. He cares for me, Ron." He looked at his friend. "He has dinners with me, he laughs with me, he talks and shares personal details with me. Hell, he even cracks jokes around me!" Harry said.

"He is like a…like a father to me now." He breathed.

"Harry." Hermione said after a minute. "I was just going to say, congratulations."

Harry looked at her with confused eyes before smiling a little.

"Thank you, Herms." He then looked at Ron who was still looking at him with a strange expression.

"Ron, I know you hate Snape, but he's the only family I have now. He offered to adopt me." He told the boy.

"You're wrong, Harry. He's not your only family. We are there too." Ron said in a low voice. "Look mate, you know my feelings for Snape, but if you are happy, I am happy Harry." He said.

Harry's face broke out in a huge smile.

"Thanks, Ron." He said. Ron's approval mattered to him more than Hermione's as he was Harry's first friend ever.

Harry stood up and looked around the room.

"This is his living room." He said with a sigh.

"How long?" Ron asked him.

"2 months." Harry said. "There's something else." He hesitantly opened his cuffs and after taking a deep breath, dropped his glamour.

A sob escaped Hermione and Ron gasped. Harry suddenly found his arms full of a bushy haired girl and he hugged her back, desperately wanting her comfort.

"I am so sorry, Harry." She sobbed. "I should have known."

"No, no, Hermione." Harry soothed her. " _I_ am sorry, I should have never…I was too far gone, Herms." He whispered in her shoulder. "Snape saved me."

"I will make sure to personally thank him." She said and pulled back.

Harry chuckled at that and wiped his eyes. He looked at Ron who was looking at him with a hurt expression.

"I failed you, Harry." He whispered.

"No, Ron. _I_ failed you. I thought I was strong, but I am not, Ron. I am not." Harry gulped back his tears. Ron came forward and hugged Harry too.

"You are stronger than you let on, mate. Never doubt that." He whispered in Harry's ear before pulling back. Harry nodded at him, not trusting himself to speak.

"It's late, we should leave." Harry said and picked up his bag.

It was well after curfew when they left the Room of Requirement. They took a turn and almost bumped into Snape.

"Look what we have here." Snape intoned.

Harry looked at the man and gave him a small smile.

"I told them."

Severus looked strangely at him before looking at the other two.

"Get back to your Common Room." He instructed. His hand rested on Harry's shoulder for a moment as he passed them.

"Sir, I know we are prefects and shouldn't be breaking rules and staying out after curfew, but please don't tell Professor McGo-"

"I do not know what you are talking about, Ms. Granger." Snape said in his silk voice before sweeping out of the corridor.

"Did he just-" Ron pointed his hand in the direction of his Potion's Professor.

"Yeah. As I said, he's not what he lets on. He's a totally different man when you get to know him." Harry said with a grin before turning around and continuing their journey.

/

Harry once again found himself on the floor panting like a dog for the third time that evening.

"You are improving." Severus said as he helped him sit up.

"Yet I cannot block you out." Harry said as he sat heavily in the chair in Snape's office.

"I find it ludicrous to compare the ability to run, of a toddler with a 15-year old boy." Severus commented and conjured a bottle of water for Harry to drink. "Rome wasn't built in a day, Harry."

"I know. I just feel like I don't stand a chance against Voldemort if I can't block him!" Harry said frustrated.

"He is not so easy to destroy." Severus nodded. "But not indestructible."

"What do you suggest?" Harry asked him as he rolled the capped bottle from end of the table to the other.

"I suggest you stop destroying my desk." Snape said and vanished the empty bottle. "And I suggest you take a warm shower, have a hearty meal and sleep peacefully."

"I can agree with the first two, although I am not in control of the third." Harry said.

"I was wondering, now that you have told your friends about the adoption, there is no problem for you to sleep here at night. We can try the Occlumency technique I suggested a few days ago." Severus said and steepled his finger in front of his face.

"I won't mind." Harry gave him a scrutinizing look. "That is…of course, if you won't be troubled by my presence-"

"Nonsense." Severus waved him off. "I'll ask one of the house-elves to get your school uniform and night clothes along with your school bag."

"How do I tell Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked him.

"They have been standing outside my office door for 15 minutes now." Severus muttered and with a wave of his hand, the door opened to reveal a bickering Ron and Hermione.

Harry turned in his seat and looked at them.

"You were planning on knocking sometime this year, weren't you Mr. Weasley?" Snape asked with a smirk as the boy visibly flinched.

"Yes-yes sir."

"We are sorry, sir. We just wanted to-" Hermione was cut off by Snape.

"See if I haven't mangled him into any potions ingredient yet?" Ron hissed as he recognized his words from a few days ago.

"Hey! You said you wouldn't use any of my memories in torturing them!" Harry protested lightly.

"It was too good to pass." Severus smirked and closed the door as soon as the couple had stepped inside. "Anything we can do for you?"

Ron gave up all the hopes to talk and turned to Hermione, his eyes clearly stating: _'It was your idea, you talk.'_

"We came down to say thank you, sir." Hermione said.

Severus raised an eyebrow at that before looking at Harry who shrugged.

"For what, Ms. Granger?"

"For taking care of Harry, sir. And for supporting him when we couldn't." She said bravely.

"You are…welcome, Ms. Granger." Severus said.

"And…congratulations on the adoption." Ron said in a squeaky voice.

"Quite unexpected, coming from you Mr. Weasely. Thank you, nevertheless." Severus nodded at the boy.

"I will be staying down here tonight." Harry said as he got up and stretched a bit.

"I will see you inside, Harry." Severus said. "Good night Mr. Weasely, Ms. Granger." With that, he left from the back door and into their quarters.

"You are staying…in his quarters?" Ron said and pointed to the door.

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "I've got my room over there."

"That's great, Harry." Hermione commented.

"It was weird to see you and Snape in your…" Ron struggled to come up with right words.

"Natural environment?" Harry laughed at Ron's face. "Yeah, you'll get used to it."

"We'll see you tomorrow." Hermione said.

"Cover up for me?" He asked her.

"Of course." She smiled at him.

"Professor McGonagall knows, so you don't have to lie to her." He told them.

"What about Remus?" Ron asked casually. Harry's heart beat quickened as he realized that he hadn't talked to his friend in a while and he probably didn't know about the arrangement.

"Hold off on him, for a while." He said.

"Alright…" Hermione said with an understanding nod. "Good night, Harry."

"Good night, mate." Ron said and Harry escorted them out of the door. Ron turned back at the threshold and gave Harry a sly smirk.

"So, does Snape give you the talk about birds and bees-" Harry chuckled as he slammed the door on Ron's face before walking over towards the back door and going into the quarters.

"Shower." Snape pointed at the corridor without even looking up from his magazine. Harry rolled his eyes and walked into his room. He came out after 10 minutes to see a delicious platter of chicken and lamb on the dining table.

"Does Remus know?" He asked Severus as they ate.

"I thought I should ask you before taking a decision of telling him." Severus replied.

"Oh, that's very understanding of you."

"You say that as if it's quite a rare thing on my part." Severus narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"Well, can you blame me?" Harry shrugged and grinned at the glare he received in return.

"Do you think he will disagree?" Harry asked in a small voice.

"I have known Lupin for a long time, Harry. Even though our relationship has been the one of hatred, I can assure you that the wolf cares deeply for the ones those are his own. In this case, you. He might resist in the starting, but will come to terms with it." Severus said. "He will have to."

Harry nodded at him as he pushed his food around the plate.

"Will he think I betrayed them?" Severus didn't have to be Sherlock to know who ' _them'_ was.

"I don't know, Harry. The only way to find out is by telling him." He told the boy gently.

"Will you be there with me when I tell him?" The hope in those green eyes made Severus' heart ache.

"If that is what you wish." He nodded.

"Thank you." Harry gave him a small smile.

"Would you care for some Ice-Cream?" Severus asked the boy and vanished the dishes.

"Ice-Cream?" Harry's eyebrows shot up.

"I have chocolate and vanilla." Severus said as he got up and walked to the muggle refrigerator that he had in the kitchen. "I personally prefer one scoop of each."

"I'll have the same." Harry said, still in shock. "Why do you keep ice-cream?"

"I have favourites too." Severus said and took out two bowls.

"You are such a different person than I anticipated."

"What did you anticipate? Cobwebs and coffins?" Severus asked him as he put a scoop of each flavor in each bowl.

Harry laughed at him.

"Close. But yeah, I mean, nobody took you for a guy who has a younger brother, who likes listening to music, has preferences in ice-cream." Harry said.

"Human after all, Harry." Severus said as he placed one bowl in front of the boy who thanked him in return.

"Were you happy with the letter your brother sent?" Harry asked him as they ate.

Severus nodded.

"He is in Ireland." He said and scowled. "He hasn't been in any trouble, so no money for me." He shrugged in the most un-Snapeish way possible. "He said he is planning to visit on Christmas."

"Does he know?"

"That is the reason I called him."

"Oh." Harry said.

"You are worried." Severus observed.

"Geez Sherlock, I was wondering if you had lost your abilities." Harry said sarcastically.

"Sarcasm is not very becoming of you." Severus said as he got up to deposit his empty bowl in the sink.

"I am sorry." Harry said and followed suit. "It's just that I don't have a good track record with relatives."

"Sebastian won't be problem." Severus chuckled. "You will like him the minute he steps into the room. And he will like you too. Contrary to popular belief, you are a very likable person Harry."

Harry raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that so? You were really living by those words for the past 5 years, weren't you?" He said.

"Mistakes and misinterpretations are easy to make. But apologizing for them is where courage is needed." Severus explained to him. "I am sorry, for the way I treated you for the past 5 years. It was wrong of me."

"And I am sorry too. For not respecting you and for calling you a Dungeon Bat." Harry grinned at the expression on Snape's face.

"Apology…accepted."

They sat in the living room for a while before Harry started yawning.

"I think I'm going to head to bed." He said and got up.

"I'll be there in a minute." Severus nodded as he read the essay of an unfortunate student who was sure to get a big D.

When Harry came out of the bathroom, Severus was waiting for him near the bed. He gestured Harry to lie down.

"Close your eyes and try to occlude." He instructed in a heavy voice. He was surprised to find that Harry trusted him enough to sleep in his presence.

"Don't go to sleep yet." He said in a bit louder voice so as to wake the boy up who was finding it hard to battle with sleep.

"Yes…okay." Harry mumbled.

"Bring up your memory. The muggle swing one. Make sure it holds enough for me to come in."

Harry concentrated hard and suddenly found himself sitting on a swing gazing at the clouds.

When Severus thought that Harry had done what he had asked, he took a seat at the edge of the bed beside Harry's head and uttered the incantation. He found himself looking at a 10-12 years old Harry Potter sitting on a swing, looking as lost as a wanderer in the jungles of Peru.

He started strengthening the hold of the memory and dissolving the weak spots. After he was satisfied with his job, he exited.

"Alright Harry, you can go to sleep now." He whispered in the dark. But Harry was already in the land of dreams. Severus' hand rested on top of his head for a minute and he ruffled the boy's hair before getting up.

"Good night, Harry." He left the room, not closing the door all the way and leaving a gap so that he could hear if something went wrong.

His fireplace made a whooshing sound and he went there to see the face of floating Minerva.

"Severus, is Harry down there?" She asked.

"Sleeping, Minerva." He answered and took a seat on the sofa from where he could see her perfectly.

"I didn't believe it when Granger and Weasley told me. I had to check." She said.

"Of course." Severus said tiredly.

"Get some sleep, Severus. You look tired." She said in a motherly way.

"Good night, Minerva." With that, the floo call cut and the woods cracked in the heat. Severus sighed before deciding against a nightcap. He checked on Harry once before thinking that he was ready to sleep off the tiring day he had had.

/

"Congrats, Ron!" Harry said as he thumped the boy on his back. He had conducted the Quidditch tryouts, with a little help from Ginny, he blushed mentally at that. Ron was awarded the position of the Keeper and was currently happier than the happiness combined of the whole population of Hogwarts.

"Thanks, Harry." He said as they made their way to the showers.

Ron suddenly stopped and put a hand on Harry's arm.

"What's wrong?" Harry frowned.

"Harry, you didn't select me because I am your friend, did you?" Ron asked seriously.

Harry looked at him for a second before he started laughing hysterically.

"It's not funny, Harry!" Ron said as he watched his friend go mad.

"Sorry…Sorry." Harry said and tried to control his laughter but failing miserably.

Finally, when he was calm enough, he out a hand on Ron's shoulder.

"Ron, you have been playing Quidditch with your rough brothers since you were what, seven?"

"Six, actually."

"Yeah, six. McLaggen has been playing since a year or two. You clearly had more experience and were crushing it."

"But he was good too!"

"Are you _trying_ to get out of the team?" Harry raised an eyebrow at him.

"No!" Ron said. "I just don't want to be that guy who got on the team due to contacts, you know. I am not Malfoy."

"Of course." Harry chuckled. "I assure you, Ron. If you would have been in my place, you would have seen what a good game you were playing."

Ron nodded at him, developing some sort of self-respect.

"Thanks, Harry." He said.

"Anytime." Harry shrugged as they continued their walk.

"So, how's it living with Snape?" Ron suddenly asked him.

"I have tea with Malfoy every day." Harry said as if it were a regular occurrence.

Ron's eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks.

Harry couldn't keep it in, and burst out laughing once more.

"Oh you're _so_ getting it." Ron said in a deadly voice before he chasing Harry all across the grounds and into the castle.

 **A/N: Hey Guys! I am back! Sorry for the long delay!**


	9. Soul Searching

**Chapter 9- Soul Searching**

Harry stretched happily as he woke up. His eyes suddenly flew open as he took in the new surroundings. Today, the window showed a view from the London Eye as the city basked in the morning sunshine. Harry closed his eyes and suddenly the window was showing Hogwarts, bathed in sunlight, sitting between the mighty hills.

A knock sounded on the door and Severus entered with his usual flourish.

"Morning." He said.

"Good morning." Harry smiled at him as he stood up from the bed and stretched.

"How did you sleep?" Snape crossed his arms over his chest as he watched his charge buzz about the room gathering his clothes for the day.

"No nightmares." He grinned at the man. "The technique helps."

"You're welcome." Severus nodded. "Breakfast is on the table, come down once you are ready." With that he left and closed the door. Harry quickly entered the bathroom in his room and got ready for the day.

Severus was sipping coffee while reading the Daily Prophet when Harry entered the kitchen. A bowl of cornflakes and 2 toasts appeared in front of him as he sat down opposite to the man.

"What are your plans today?" Severus asked him as he folded the newspaper and kept it aside.

Harry shrugged as he ate. His appetite had increased a bit in the past few weeks, but was still too less for Severus' liking.

"I'll probably hang out with Ron and Hermione." He said. Just then a note popped up on the table beside him. Harry almost spilled his juice in surprise and looked at Severus.

"It's probably Dumbledore." The older man rolled his eyes. "Only he has the habit of delivering messages in such a _distinct_ manner."

Harry read the note and sighed before stashing it in his pocket.

"Well, there go my plans to hang out with my friends." He said and took a long sip of his apple juice.  
"What does it say?"

"He wants to meet me after breakfast. Says he has something important to tell me." Harry said.

"Did he say anything in particular?" Severus sat up. Harry frowned at his interest but answered.

"No. He just said it's related to Voldemort."

"His old brain finally gathered enough sense." Severus muttered darkly.

"You know what this is about?" Harry asked him.

"I…have a vague idea. Maybe." Severus downplayed it.

"Tell me, then."

"No. I think it's better coming from Dumbledore." Severus said as he stood up and took the empty bowls and cup to put it in the sink.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Because he is your mentor, Harry." Severus said distractedly.

"And you are my father." Harry's eyes widened at his own words. Severus stopped washing his cup and Harry waited for the outburst as he started at the man's back. Harry, for the first time, noticed that Severus was pretty fit for a man his age. He had rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt and his muscles flexed as he held the utensil. The Dark Mark stood prominently on his pale skin and the grey dress pants fit him perfectly along with his expensive looking black boots.

"He wants to tell you himself." Severus said and resumed his task.

"Okay." Harry whispered and stood up. "I-I'll be off."

"Shall I expect you this evening?" Severus' voice fell on his ears as Harry put on his shoes in the living room.

"I don't- I don't know." He said and licked his lips.

"Well the door is always open." A heave hand fell on his shoulder and Harry jumped.

"I know." He gave Severus a small smile and quickly ran off.

Severus sat down on the sofa as he replayed Harry's words in his mind.

' _And you are my father.'_

Did the boy really think of him as his father now? Just after two months? Was he prepared for this? Was he strong enough to be a father?

Questions after questions exploded in Severus' head and he groaned in frustration.

' _I need something to occupy my head.'_ He thought and disappeared in his potions lab.

/

"Harry!" Harry turned around at the sound of his best friend's voice.

"Hey Hermione." He greeted her.

"You're alive!" Harry laughed at Ron's words.

"Alive and well rested." He informed them as they walked together.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked him. "We were just coming down to meet you."

"Dumbledore called me after breakfast." Harry said.

"Neville was asking about you yesterday. And this morning." Ron told him.

"What did you tell him?" Harry frowned at him.

"I told him that you were in the infirmary due to a bad headache. Professor McGonagall went with it." Hermione shrugged. "Why is Professor Dumbledore calling you?"

"He would have told us if he had known, Hermione." Ron rolled his eyes at her.

"Exactly." Harry said. "I will see you guys later." He said, and with a wave, went towards the Gargoyle which automatically opened for him.

He softly knocked on the door and entered.

"Good morning, Professor." Harry said.

The old man leaning over a book looked up and gave Harry a smile.

"Ah, Harry! Good morning! Have a seat. Would you like some tea?" Albus asked him as he sat in front of him.

"Yes, please." Harry accepted the hot cup of tea before taking a sip.

"How are you settling down with Severus, Harry?" Albus asked him.

"Pretty good." Harry said with a grin. "Severus is actually really great. We make potions together sometimes, and he even lets me make complex ones."

Albus chuckled at the boy.

"That sounds great. Severus doesn't let many people see the real side of him." Albus said and poured himself some more tea. "I believe you heard about Sebastian."

"Yes." Harry nodded. "Severus said he would visit for Christmas."

"Yes, yes. Both the brothers are quite a pair, Harry. You would find yourself loving them more and more by the day." Albus said.

"I hope so." Harry gave the man a nervous smile.

"Something on your mind, Harry?" Albus asked the boy as he saw him fidget.

"I-um…" Harry gulped and put his tea cup on the table. "If you don't mind me asking, sir. What happened to your hand? I asked Severus, but he said that it's not his story to tell." Harry said cautiously.

"That is exactly why I called you down here, my boy." Albus leaned forward on his desk. "What exactly do you know about the night Voldemort killed your parents?"

Harry cleared his throat and shook his head.

"Not much. Just that my mother's magic prevented the killing curse from killing me and it rebounded off to kill Voldemort himself. But why didn't he die, Professor? How can he be back?" Harry asked him.

"Have you heard of Horcruxes, Harry?"

"No." Harry shook his head.

"A Horcrux is an object which is used by a witch or a wizard to trap a part of their soul in it." Albus explained.

Harry eyes widened at that.

"That's...that's so _psychotic_. You think Voldemort made a horcrux?"

"Not just one. 6, to be exact."

"So…you can just pop this object and gain back your life?" Harry asked in disbelief. Albus chuckled at his words.

"Oh your generation's language always cracks me up." He said. "Voldemort's soul was split into 7 parts when he came to kill you. He died once and had to use one of his horcruxes to come back to life."

"Did you find them?" Harry asked in a small voice.

"3." Albus nodded. "A ring, a cup and a necklace." He held up his black wrinkled hand. "And this, is the result of my foolishness. I put on the ring instead of destroying it."

"What exactly happened?" Harry asked him.

"The ring had a curse on it. It's spreading." Albus said with a sigh.

"It's curable, right?" Harry asked in a fearful voice.

"Severus has created a potion which has slowed down the spreading. But I doubt I have more than a year."

"That's bullshit!" Harry yelled and stood up with force.

"Harry…"

"If Professor Snape made that potion, it _will_ work, Professor. You cannot die. You will _not_ die!" Tears threatened to fall down Harry's face but he controlled himself.

"Sit down, Harry." Albus ordered in a gentle voice and Harry reluctantly complied.

"I trust Severus fully. He is working on an antidote. But if he fails to find it, we have to accept our fate, Harry."

"He won't fail. I'll help him too." Harry said in a determined voice. Albus just smiled at the boy.

"Anyways, we wandered off the topic, I'm afraid." Albus gave a short nervous chuckle. "You know the prophecy, and now you know about the horcruxes. You have to destroy them, Harry. I fear I am not as nimble as I used to be."

"I will destroy the remaining four, Professor. Don't worry." Harry said fiercely.

"I have no doubt you will, Harry. But, there are only three remaining." Albus said.

Harry frowned.

"But you said…"

"You destroyed one in your second year."

"Tom Riddle's diary…" Harry realized.

"Yes. You destroyed it with a Basilisk fang."

"Well, three it is then." Harry said.

"You may also tell Mr. Weasely and Ms. Granger about this and ask them to help you."

"Yes sir. I take it Severus knows."

"Yes, he does." Albus then looked Harry in the eye before speaking. "He is one of the best men I know and trust, Harry. With him on our side, it definitely increases our chances at winning."

"Does he still go to the Death Eater meetings?"

"He has to." Albus said as he rubbed his beard. "He gives us vital information. Information which helps us save our world."

"I understand." Harry said. "So these Horcruxes, how do I find the next one?"

"Look for anything that Riddle had ties with, in his youth." Albus told him. "The ring I found was a family heirloom. And the cup belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, the necklace was Salazar Slytherin's."

"Which ties it to Riddle's years at Hogwarts."

"Precisely." Albus nodded. "I will always be there to help you, Harry, should you need anything."

"I know, Professor." Harry said with a smile.

"And so will Severus."

"You really like him, don't you?" Harry asked the man.

"I have wronged him in the past. I refused to see through his hard exterior. But once I did, I found a man for whom I can give my life for. He is like a son to me, Harry." Albus said with a fond expression on his face.

"He thinks pretty highly of you too." Harry told him. "Says that even though you are insufferable and a total impulsive Gryffindor, you have good intentions."

Albus laughed at that.

"Ah yes, dear old Severus never fails to remind me of that."

They sat in silence for a while before Harry stood.

"I will leave you to rest, Professor." He said.

"Good luck, Harry." Albus said as Harry neared the door. "For your future."

"A future you will be there to see, sir." Harry said determinedly before exiting the office, leaving Albus to contemplate on the fact that how similar Harry and his Potions Master were.

/

Harry walked in a daze as he exited Dumbledore's office. He couldn't believe what Dumbledore had told him. To split your own soul in _pieces!?_

' _Must have hurt like hell._ ' He thought.

And Dumbledore, he can't die. A feeling of gloom filled Harry's stomach as he walked without noticing his surroundings.

He let his feet take him where they wanted and soon, he found himself standing on a hill just past the Whoomping Willow. Harry sighed as the cold November air hit his face and he took a seat in the grass.

His thoughts drifted over to the conversation again as he failed to occupy his mind with anything else.  
His life had never been easy, he realized.

' _Suck it up, Potter.'_ He chided himself. _'It could have been worse!'_

Harry severely doubted his own thoughts and let out a groan of frustration.

Why can't his life be normal for once? Why does everyone he loves, go away?

With another groan, Harry hit his fists on the soft grassy ground, relishing the small tinge of pain.

He had promised Severus he would try to at least think rationally before resorting to his blade which the older wizard had thrown away.

"Ugh!" Harry yelled and pulled at his hair as tears fell down his cheek.

' _Why me!?'_ His mind screamed.

Finally, after a few minutes, he calmed down and looked at the stark blue sky.

He gently laid down in the pleasant wind and soon, his eyes shut on their own accord as he watched the clouds pass by.

His last thought before falling asleep was something he would never forget.

' _If I grew up with Snape, would he have laid down with me on the grass like this and made shapes out of clouds?'_

When Harry next woke up, it was dark. He panicked for a minute before realizing his surroundings and calming his racing heart. He casually looked at his watch and his eyes bulged out.

" _Bloody Hell!_ " He cursed and scrambled to get up.

Snape would kill him. He had missed lunch as well as dinner.

Just as he ran down to the dungeons, he heard loud voices in the corridor.

"What did you say to him!?" Harry took a step back as he recognized Snape's voice.

"Severus, I assure you I just told him about the Horcruxes and the curse." Dumbledore's calm voice floated to his ears.

"The _curse_!? Are you insane? The boy thinks the world of you, Albus! If he knows that you have limited time he might…" Harry could hear the frustration in his adoptive father's voice. "He is already a victim of self-harm, Albus. Knowing that his only mentor is going to die doesn't do him good!" Severus' voice increased with every word.

"You should trust him more, Severus." Albus said. "He hasn't cut in days."

"I trust him with everything, Dumbledore! And I am proud of him." Severus paced the corridor as he spoke. "God knows where that boy is. I can't even perform a point me spell on him due to the damn counter curse I put on him a week ago."

"You look concerned."

Severus stopped in his tracks and look at the old man.

" _Concerned_!? He is my _son_ , Albus. And he is _missing_. So yes, as a normal parent would be, I am concerned, worried, afraid and every damn word in the _dictionary_!" Harry winced at his voice but his heart warmed at the fact that Snape thought of him as his son. He smiled to himself.

He finally took a deep breath and decided to put the adults out of their misery.

He slowly shuffled forward and cleared his throat.

Severus stopped his fidgeting and Albus stood up straight from where he was leaning.

"Severus, I searched every nook and…" Minerva stopped speaking as she emerged from the opposite end of the corridor.

"Mr. Potter!" She said in the strictest voice she could muster. "We have been-"

"Thank you for your help, Minerva." Severus cut her off. His black eyes not leaving Harry for even a second.

"But Severus-"

"My dear Minerva, how long has it been since we both had a cup of tea, together?" Albus stepped forward. "Let's leave the boys alone for a bit, we can go to my office, how does that sound?" He steered a reluctant McGonagall towards the stairs.

Harry thanked all the gods that no one else was in the corridor besides him and an irate Potions Master.

With quick steps Severus moved towards Harry and gripped him by his shoulders. Harry flinched at the touch, making Severus scowl at his actions.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I will never hit you?" He said in a low voice.

"Sorry, sir." Harry said as he opened his tightly shut eyes and looked up at the man. He had worry written all over his face and Harry's guilt escalated thousand folds.

"Let's go to our quarters." Severus said in a sharp voice and they walked together with the older man's hand clasped tightly behind Harry's neck.

The fireplace crackled as Harry took a seat on the sofa and Severus sat on the armchair opposite to him. This time, he had dragged the armchair so close that their knees were almost touching. Harry gulped as he watched the man's expression go from concerned, to angry, to a neutralized one.

"Where were you?" Severus asked in a levelled voice.

"I am sorry."

"I did not ask for an apology."

"I…um…I fell asleep on the grounds." Harry looked down.

"You…fell asleep on the grounds." Severus repeated. He took a deep breath before losing his control.

"Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was?" He snarled and Harry jerked back. "You were missing at lunch and nobody knew your whereabouts. Not even your little fan club." Severus said angrily. "I thought you needed some time and would turn up in a while, but no. You never showed up at dinner. I searched and searched and searched without any indication of where you were. Do you know how much trouble we went to find you, Harry?" Harry slowly shook his head at the dangerous burning black eyes.

"Of _course_ you don't, because you were _sleeping_ _somewhere on the grounds_!" Severus shouted the last part.

"I am sorry! I wanted some air after what Dumbledore had told me and I went to the small hill behind the whoomping willow and…I had no idea I would fall asleep." Harry explained his actions.

"Still doesn't give you the right to disappear off the surface of the earth like that!"

"I told you, it wasn't my fault!"

Severus stared at the boy and Harry stared back.

"Show me your hands."

"I didn't cut." Harry gritted out.

"That wasn't a request."

Harry extended his hands towards the man and Severus gently opened the cuffs of his shirt and looked at his wrists. He sighed in relief when he didn't see any new cuts. He then released the hands and crossed his own over his chest.

"I promised you that I won't do it." Harry said as he cuffed his shirt back.

"No." Severus shook his head. "You promised me to think before you act. I don't want you to promise me that you won't ever cut, Harry. I know it's hard to stop."

Harry looked at the man.

"You said you never cut." He said as he remembered the man's words from the night he had caught Harry. "But you seem to have experience with this."

Severus raised an eyebrow to ask him about his point.

"Who?" Harry asked simply.

"No one you know." Severus said and stood up. "I will ask the elves to send in a plate for you."

Harry nodded as Severus moved towards the kitchen.

"I suggest you use the floo and inform your two love birds that you are safe, before they show their Gryffindor colors and risk their own foolish necks."

Harry quickly got up and kneeled in front of the floo. He opened his mouth when Severus answered again.

"McGonagall's office."

Harry smiled before throwing in the floo powder and preparing himself for Hermione's lecture and Ron's concern.

 **A/N: Leave a review for me, will ya? ;)**


	10. Panic

**Chapter 10 – Panic**

"Stop it."

Harry looked at Hermione and instantly stopped beating the library table with his foot.

"Sorry." He said and returned to his staring at his Transfiguration test.

"What's up with you? You're pretty jumpy." Ron said as he leaned back in his chair.

"I don't know." Harry said and tapped his head with his quill.

"Didn't you say that Professor Snape lets you have coffee?" Hermione asked him. "How much did you drink today?"

"Not a sip." Harry replied. "I- I have this strange feeling that…something is wrong. But I don't know what." He ran a hand through his hair and his eyes caught the book Hermione was reading.

"You find anything in there?" He asked her and nodded towards the copy of _The Dark Lord's Life and Other Facts._ As instructed, he had told Ron and Hermione about the horcruxes a day after Albus had told him.

"Not much." Hermione shook her head and slid a notebook towards Harry. "Here are some things that I thought might be important."

Harry gave them a quick read before making a humming sound and sliding it back.

"That's good." He said.

"You're restless." Ron observed.

"I know, alright?" Harry said snappishly and stood up. "I am going down."

' _Going down'_ was a code between the three which meant Harry was going down to the dungeons in Snape's quarters.

"Okay." Hermione nodded. "Will you be there for dinner?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." Harry shook his head.

"Just go, mate." Ron said and waved his hand towards the library's exit. "You need Bat Medicine." He snickered as Harry flipped him the bird and rushed out of the library, leaving Hermione rolling her eyes at their childishness.

/

"Lost your way, Potter?" Harry froze as he heard Malfoy's familiar drawl. He slowly turned around and saw the boy standing with his two goons beside him.

"Care to conjure me a map, Malfoy?" Harry asked with a smile which he knew would irk the Slytherin.

"What are you doing down here?" The blonde asked.

"Sorry to disturb your dream, Malfoy, but the dungeons don't belong to your father and are open to the whole school." Harry said with a smirk.

"Alone in the dungeons, Potter." Draco said. "No _DA_ to protect you, should something happen."

"I heard you have a DA of your own now. Or is it _DE_?" Harry said, gaining great satisfaction watching Draco's face turn from a smirk to an angry one.

"Now you listen 'ere-" Draco put a hand on Goyle's chest to silence him. He slowly moved forwards towards Harry and the Gryffindor tightly held his wand, ready to defend himself if needed.

Draco leaned over and whispered dangerously in Harry ear.

"Don't put your nose where it doesn't belong, Potter. It won't bode you well."

"Same goes for you then, doesn't it?" Harry whispered back.

Draco straightened up and gave Harry a calculating look before giving him a small nod and gesturing Crabbe and Goyle to follow him as he disappeared down the corridor into the Slytherin Common Room.

Harry gave out a loud sigh before making his way over to Snape's quarters.

He touched the door and it swung open for him. Harry raised an eyebrow at the scene before him.

Severus was sprawled on the sofa with one hand dangling down and the other was resting on his chest as he softly snored. His black shirt's sleeves were rolled up and Harry could see the Dark Mark. His scar tingled a little as he stared at it and he rubbed furiously at it.

He quickly went into his room and changed into some lounge clothes before taking out his books and starting on his homework. He had no idea why, but knowing that Severus was in the other room had calmed him down considerably.

He didn't stop working until Severus came and knocked on his open door.

"Didn't know you were here." Severus said.

"I came down while you were snoring." Harry smirked at the man who just gave him a soft glare before coming over and peeking at his homework over his shoulder.

"Hmm…Herbology was always one of my weak subjects." He said and squinted as he tried to read Harry's essay.

"I think you need glasses, like Dumbledore." Harry commented as he saw the man strain his eyes. He winced and grinned as a sharp cuff was administered to his head.

"I think you need to improve that chicken scrawl." Severus said. "Dinner's on the table, come on."

Harry got up and followed the man.

"Aren't you my parents' age?" Harry asked him as they sat on the table. "That would make you…36. Pretty young. Am I correct?"

"Yes." Severus answered shortly as he served himself. "Have a larger portion." He instructed Harry.

"You know, you should sit with Ron for a meal one day." He said as he ate.

Severus made a face at that.

"I don't wish to die at such a _young age_ , as you so nicely put."

Harry laughed at him.

"I would love to witness that torture."

"Eat your food."

"When is your birthday?" Harry asked him after a while.

"How is that relevant?" Severus questioned him as he stood up to deposit his dishes in the sink.

"It's not. I just feel like I should know." Harry shrugged and pushed his food around the plate.

"You didn't take your potion last Sunday." Severus said and sat back down, watching the boy struggling with his food.

"I know." Harry remembered as the memories of his falling asleep on the grounds and Severus' scolding came rushing to him.

"I insist you finish your meal."

Harry sighed and started eating tiny bites of his food.

"What is wrong with you today?" Severus asked him.

"Why do you assume something is wrong?" Harry asked him.

"You are not quite…yourself."

Harry looked at him before looking back at his plate.

"I…I don't know. Since this morning, I am feeling as if something is about to happen." He said and put down his fork and knife and rubbed his forehead.

"Your scar has been bothering you." Severus frowned as he saw the slightly reddish skin around Harry's scar.

"It's been tingling." Harry said in a dismissive tone.

Severus summoned a jar of Cooling salve and handed it to the boy.

"Thank you."

A quick wave of Severus' wand, and Harry plate disappeared. The older man watched as Harry applied the salve to his forehead and wondered what was about to happen. Voldemort has been quite dormant for the past month or two, and Severus feared if he was planning an attack somewhere.

"Come, let's sit in the living room." He said and guided Harry to the sofa, where the younger wizard gratefully sank down.

It was peacefully quiet as Severus made his lesson plans and Harry stared in the fire, until it started.

Harry hissed in pain as his scar burst open and he doubled over.

Severus' head snapped up and he was beside him in an instant.

"Harry, what do you see?" He asked as he held the boy's shoulders to keep him upright.

"V-Voldemort." Harry squeaked out before furiously rubbing his scar. Severus quickly pulled his hand away and looked at the angry red lightning bolt. He saw the Cooling Salve sitting on the coffee table and opened it with quick movements before applying it to Harry's forehead.

"Harry, stay still." He said and pinned the boy's hands in one of his own.

"It hurts!" Harry yelled through the pain.

"I kno-" Severus' hand dropped to his side and his right hand quickly engulfed his left one.

"Damn it, he's calling me." He gritted out.

He looked at Harry and saw the young man look at him with fearful eyes.

"I knew something was up." He whispered in a pain filled voice.

"Harry-"

"Don't go, Severus!" Harry shook his head and held Severs' hands in a death grip.

"Harry- _listen_ to me. _Occlude_." Severus tried to get his attention.

"No! Don't go, Severus! He is angry!" Harry pinched his eyes tightly as another wave of pain rocketed through his head.

Severus cursed under his breathe before conjuring a patronus and sending it off to Albus.

He then put his hands on either side of Harry's head and looked him in the eyes.

"Harry, it's going to be fine." He said in a hoarse voice. The burn in his hand as intensifying and Harry seemed to have no intentions of letting go of his arms.

He thanked all gods when the floo turned green and Albus stepped out.

"Severus!" He rushed over to them.

"He's calling." Severus said as he struggled with the squirming Harry who was caught up in some kind of vision.

"Go." Albus said and helped the man get up and took his position beside Harry. Severus summoned his mask and robe and was about to leave when a hand shot out and clutched him.

"Don't go." Harry choked out a sob before falling limp in the Headmaster's arms.

Severus' concerned eyes roamed over Harry before setting on Albus.

"I will take care of him." Albus assured him.

Severus nodded before putting on his robe and moving towards the floo.

"Severus." The young man looked at Albus. "Be careful, son."

Severus turned around and threw in the powder before disappearing in the green flames.

Albus sighed as he looked at the Gryffindor in his arms.

"Come on, Harry. Let's get you settled in bed."

/

It was two in the morning when Severus apparated outside the Hogwarts' gates. He stumbled in the night as he made his way towards the castle stairs.

Voldemort was particularly angry today. Everyone had to suffer.

He groaned his knees felt weak and he fell down on the steps, desperately hoping that Albus would identify him in the wards and come out to get him.

"Severus! Are you alright?" Albus' voice was like music to his ears.

"Albus." He hoarsely whispered and tried to stand up.

"Easy, Severus." Albus chided as he watched the man struggle to get up. "It won't hurt you to accept help, you know."

"Not weak." Severus said as Albus helped him climb the stairs.

"Nobody said you were."

"Harry?"

"Is fine and finally sleeping." Albus answered tiredly. Harry was caught up in all sorts of visions since Severus had left. He was yelling for Severus, crying for Severus and had even passed out 3 times. Albus had had a hard time getting the boy to sleep.

"Finally?" Severus frowned as they made their way down to the dungeons.

"You need rest, Severus. We will talk in the morning." Albus said.

The rest of the walk was in silence except Severus' small groans of pain and Albus' heavy breathing.

"What did he hit you with, this time?" Albus asked as he lowered the man in his bed.

"Crutiatus, multiple times." Severus said and closed his eyes. "I have a headache."

Albus quickly went to the cabinet beside Severus' bed and took out three vials.

Severus took the two and handed him the third one.

"I don't need Dreamless Sleep." He growled and kicked his shoes off.

"You are not infallible, Severus." Albus said and thrusted the vial back in the man's hand. "Drink it."

Severus glared at him before downing the potion in one gulp. He was vaguely aware of Albus helping him get out of his robes and tried his best to shake off the old man without any success. He then gracefully fell down in his bed with whatever dignity he had left and closed his eyes, falling asleep immediately.

Albus shook his head as he covered him with the blankets.

"Severus, when will you grow up." He chuckled softly.

He opened the cabinet again to check Severus' supply when his eyes fell on a portrait kept hidden in the corner. He slowly took it out and smiled.

"Oh Lily, I wish you were here to talk some sense into him." He whispered to the 15-year-old red head who was laughing in the picture. A young Severus stood beside her, looking at her as if she was some kind of a wonder. An unimaginable beauty.

Albus sighed as he ran his wrinkled hand over the photo before putting it back where he found it.

He left Severus' room and entered Harry's to check on him one last time before heading back to his quarters.

He wasn't surprised when Harry's eyes fluttered open as he opened the door.

"Is he back?" He asked, his throat raw due to all the screaming he had done.

"Yes." Albus said and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Is he…alright?"

"A bit banged up, but he'll be fine."

Harry nodded.

"You did good, Harry." Albus praised him.

"It was too late."

"But you accomplished it. You blocked him from your mind." Albus said. "You occluded."

Harry sniffed.

"I still saw most of it. I still gave him a lot of time to see my memories."

"He didn't see any memories of you and Severus. I think that is a great achievement for you."

"He saw the one with the Dursleys. I know he did." Harry said softly. "He-He tortured Severus because of me. He sa-said Severus should have told him before, when I was vulnerable."

Albus put a hand on Harry's eyes and chanted a spell.

"None of this is your fault Harry." He said. "Now, I want you to sleep."

Harry's eyes drooped and he instantly fell into a deep slumber.

Albus stood up, and with one last look at Harry, made him way over to the couch. He can sleep here tonight. Near his boys.

He transformed the couch into a comfy bed and slid into it, catching up on his needed sleep.

/

The next day, when Severus woke up, he groaned. His body was as stiff as a pole and his head was pounding. He slowly slid out of the bed and made his way into the bathroom, intending to take a nice long shower.

He winced as he peeled off his shirt. Blue and black bruises were forming on his abdomen from when Voldemort had thrown him on the ground.

He took a hot shower before applying all types of salves on his bruises and taking a few potions to make him feel better. He then dressed himself in a white collared t-shirt with a black sweater, and black trousers.

As soon as he stepped out of his room, his stomach rumbled at the aroma of food. He slowly made his way into the kitchen and found Harry bustling about on the countertop.

"Good morning." Severus said in a gruff voice.

Harry instantly turned and a smile broke out on his face.

"Are you all right?" Severus asked him as he walked towards the boy.

"I'm fine." Harry said brushed him off. "What about you? I saw everything! I am so sorry. You had to suffer because of me." Harry's voice cracked and he looked down.

Severus firmly held the boy's face in his hands and made him look up.

"Listen to me carefully because I won't repeat myself." He said, knowing full well that Harry only understood strict language. "This is not your fault. Whatever happened to me, happened to me because of _my_ choices." He said. "You are not at fault here. Understood?"

Harry nodded and Severus slackened his grip before looking at the table.

"Are you cooking breakfast?"

"Lunch." Harry said and went back towards the stove.

"What is the time?" Severus frowned.

"11:30. Professor Dumbledore excused us from the classes." Harry said and stirred something as Severus took a seat on the table. "I thought about waking you at 8, but you looked like you needed the rest."

"Do you need help?"

"No, I can manage, thanks." Harry said. "Been doing this for a long time."

"At what age did you learn to cook?" Severus saw an opportunity to talk to Harry about his past life and too it.

"At a young age." Harry replied tensely.

"You are still young." Severus appeared beside him.

Harry gulped and looked at him.

"Aunt Petunia insisted that I learn to cook as soon as I was old enough to go to school. So, 4 or 5." He shrugged.

"That is no age to even go near a stove and she had you flipping meat?" Severus asked angrily.

"I actually enjoyed it, you know. It was the one thing I had control over. I could add anything as long as it tasted good."

"Should have added poison." Severus said darkly.

Harry laughed at that.

"It did cross my mind several times, yeah." He nodded.

Both of them ate the delicious lunch that Harry had made and not before Severus had picked up his copy of _A tale of two cities_ and Harry was doing his homework.

"You know the potions book I picked up from the Room of Requirement?" Harry said conversationally.

"Hmm." Severus acknowledged him without looking up.

"It is pretty helpful. I mean, the owner was definitely a scholar. He hasn't written his name on it though. All I have is his beautiful handwriting and his small notes that cover every inch of all the pages." Harry said.

"How do you know it's a _'he'_?" Severus asked him without looking up.

"He has signed the book." Harry shrugged. "He called himself _'The Half-Blood Prince'_ "

Severus' head instantly snapped up and his eyes widened.

" _What?"_

"The Half-Blood Prince." Harry repeated as he looked down at his Transfiguration essay. "Pretty weird, if you ask me. Who-"

Before Harry could complete his sentence, Severus was standing over him.

"Where is the book?" He asked roughly.

Harry blinked up at him.

"I-it's in my bag, why? You know him?" He asked as he watched Severus rummage inside his bag. He shrugged as Severus took out an ancient chocolate wrapper and shoved it in Harry's face.

When the man finally found the book, he immediately opened the book and ran his hands over the yellow pages.

"Severus? You know this guy?" Harry frowned at him.

" _Know_? I _am_ this guy." He said and took great satisfaction as Harry eyes bulged out of their sockets.

" _You_ are the Half- Blood Prince?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Severus nodded and sat back down on his chair, perusing the book. "I always found new ways to make the potion simpler and easier." He said with a small smile.

"You have written quite a lot of spells in there too." Harry said.

Severus sharply looked at him. "For your own sake I hope you haven't tried them."

Harry shook his head.

"I was going to, but Hermione talked me out of it." He said.

"Thank god for Ms. Granger." Severus muttered.

"Why? What do those spells do?" Harry asked him.

"Nothing you should be aware of." Came the answer.

"You know, I am destined to fight Voldemort." Harry said. "If you have any good spells in there, I would benefit from them."

"These are…dark spells, Harry." Severus said softly as he looked at the boy. "Spells I made to get back to your father and his friends."

"Oh." Harry licked his lips. "Did you?"

Severus shook his head.

"No. I didn't."

"Why?"

"Lily."

That one word made Harry understand all of it.

"You loved her, didn't you?" He asked.

"She was my childhood best friend. We both knew each other since before Hogwarts."

"Really?" Harry scooted closer to the man. "Did you know Aunt Petunia, then?"

"I did. She was born nasty." Severus scowled at her name.

"So…what happened between you and mum?"

Severus sighed. "We were both sorted into different houses. We drifted apart."

Harry could tell that Severus didn't want to talk about it, so he left the topic.

"I won't force you to talk about her." He said. "But can I ask you something?"  
Severus nodded.

"Am I _anything_ like her?" Harry's voice sounded more like an 8-year-old than a 16-year-old.

"Very." Severus said. "As a lot of people must have already told you, you have her eyes. Exactly her eyes." He said and gazed in the green orbs, almost feeling his childhood sweetheart beside him. "You are like her in many ways, Harry. You might have your father's looks and his skills in Quidditch, but other than that, you are all Lily."

Harry smiled at him.

"No one told me that. Everyone just say that I am like my father, no one says anything about my mum." He said.

"I will tell you a lot about her. I just need time." Severus said.

"I know." Harry said. "And I understand."

"Thank you."

Severus then looked at his Potions book and threw it at Harry for him to catch. Harry, being the amazing seeker he was, caught it before it hit his nose.

"Keep it." Severus said. "Just don't try any spells in them. They are dangerous, Harry, and can kill."

Harry nodded and flipped through the book. "I won't, thanks."

"I am serious. If I find you trying any of the spells written in them, I will make it my personal job to make your life miserable. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir." Harry replied.

"And Harry?"

"Yeah?" Harry looked at him.

"I never gave you that book." Severus said and returned to his reading.

Harry's face broke out into a small smile and he stashed the book back in his bag.

"Don't know what you are talking about, Severus."

Severus just smirked and kept reading.

 **A/N: Snape doing more father-y things in this chapter haha.**

 **Leave a review for me, please!**


	11. Holidays

**A/N: Hey guys! I love how you all are excited to meet Sebastian! He will be making an appearance in the next chapter!**

 **Chapter 11 – Holidays**

The corridors were too silent for Severus' liking. His dragon hide boots hardly made any sound as he made his way to his quarters. The holidays were upon them, and so were the exams. All the students were either studying in their common room or were holed up in the library due to snow.

Severus had thought a lot about what to do for Christmas. Usually he and Sebastian would have a tree, exchange greetings and a gift, and would just sit in the living room the whole day, eating and drinking all sorts of beverages ranging from hot chocolate to FireWhiskey and other muggle drinks that Sabastian had the habit of bringing home from every country. By evening, both of them would be full on hammered and passed out on the sofa.

Severus allowed a small smirk to grace his face as he remembered how last year, a very drunk Sebastian had almost kissed their house-elf, Lola, thinking that she was some girl he had met in Vienna.

He reached his quarters and the door opened for him.

"Harry!" He called as he sat on the sofa to remove his boots. "Are you here?"

Harry had made a habit of studying in his room about a week ago. He had claimed that the Common Room was too noisy and stuffy with everyone inside studying. He usually told his friends that he would be studying in the Room of Requirement and nobody had doubted him till now. Only Hermione and Ron knew where he truly went. He would be so silent and focused that sometimes Severus wasn't even aware of his presence in the quarters. So now Severus always called his name whenever he entered.

A soft ' _yes'_ gave him his answer and he stood up. Depositing his shoes near the coat hanger, he slipped his feet into slippers and went to check on Harry.

The boy was leaning over his table scribbling furiously. Severus raised an eyebrow at the charmed window which currently showed a hot summer day over London. Seeing no reason to disturb the boy, he quietly slipped out of his room. He grabbed a cup of tea and sent a cup to Harry's room along with some biscuits. He then went into his potions lab to catch up on some potions that he had decided to brew for his own purposes.

An hour later, the door to Severus' lab opened and Harry entered.

"I'm going out for a walk." He announced.

"It's snowing." Severus stated and looked up from his cauldron.

"I'll bundle up properly." Harry said and leaned over to see what Severus was preparing.

"With the gloves." Severus said and slapped Harry's hand which he had brought up to stir the concoction. "It's pepper up."

"Okay." Harry made a show of rubbing his abused hand.

"And the cap."

Harry opened his mouth to protest but one glare from Severus and he backed down.

"Fine." Harry rolled his eyes. " _And_ the cap."

"And the warming charm."

"You're pushing it." Harry threw over his shoulder as he exited the room.

"That's supposed to be my dialogue." Severus called after him.

After 5 minutes, when Harry was putting on his shoes, a woollen cap was dropped on his head. He looked back and saw a smirking Severus casually sipping his tea while leaning on the kitchen entrance.

Harry shot him a glare before adjusting his cap and standing up.

"Don't be out too late." Severus said.

"I won't." And with that, Harry was out of the door, but not before noticing that the sly Slytherin had even put a warming charm on him.

/

The grounds were full of white snow. Only a handful students were out at this time. Harry breathed in the fresh air and rubbed his nose which was already numb.

He carefully walked on the slippery path and made his way towards the Black Lake which was frozen. He stood there for a while before making his way towards the Whomping Willow. With his wand, he created a small clearing behind a rock and sat down. He could see the whole castle from up there.

The castle was lit with the lamps as it was almost dark. Snow fell silently as Harry sat gazing at the grounds.

The exams were about to start in two days. Harry wasn't worried about them. He knew he would do well, he had prepared well. Severus talked to him about good grades but hadn't pressurised him in any way, for which Harry was grateful. Harry had taken all his doubts to him and Severus had calmly explained him all of his queries. Harry was surprised when he had discovered that Severus was not only excellent at Potions, but also other subjects.

The only thing Harry had not asked his adoptive father was about Christmas. Since attending Hogwarts, Harry had never celebrated Christmas other than at Hogwarts itself. He had never seen Severus in the castle during the time, so he deduced he went home for Christmas. And Severus had even said that Sebastian will meet them for Christmas at _home._

 _Home._

The word had a lot behind it that Harry had never experienced. But ever since he lived with Severus, Harry had had a little sense of what home actually is.

He smiled at the thought that he no longer was alone in this world. Hermione and Ron had always been there for him, true, but they were never ' _home_ '.

Harry sighed as he looked at his watch. His hands were almost freezing even inside the gloves. He rubbed his hands and looked at Hagrid's hut. The lights were off, which meant he wasn't there.

Harry slowly stood up and made his way back to the castle.

"Hi Harry." A soft voice came from behind him and Harry turned.

"Hey, Ginny." He smiled at the beautiful red head. She was wearing black pants and red jumper with a black coat. Her hair was let down and a pink hat rested on her head.

' _Wow_.' Harry thought mentally as he looked at her.

"Where are you coming from?" She asked him as they walked.

"Just a walk to clear my head."

"Exams and all, I know." Ginny said and rubbed her hands together. Harry noticed she wasn't wearing any gloves. Without hesitation, he took off his leather ones and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She smiled at him and put them on even though they were a bit big for her.

"Where were you?" Harry asked as they ascended the steps to the castle doors.

"I went to Hogsmead. Needed some supplies." She said and showed him the small bag she was holding.

"Oh." Harry said and awkward silence descended upon them.

"Well, I guess I will see you later then." Ginny said as they entered the castle and warm air immediately surrounded them.

"Yeah. Sure." Harry said and licked his lips. God, she was beautiful.

She gave Harry one more heart-warming smile before going towards the Common Room and Harry walked back to the dungeons in a daze.

"Lost your gloves to the big bad Winter?" Severus asked him as he entered.

"I helped a lady with them." Harry said proudly as he hung his coat and made a beeline for the fireplace which was cackling happily.

"Might I ask who?"

Harry threw a grin over his shoulder.

"You might, but I don't think I will tell you." He said teasingly.

"I hope I don't need to talk with you about protection-"

"NO! Severus, stop!" Harry covered his ears as the elder man openly smirked.

"I thought we could dine in the Great Hall today." Severus said as he closed his ink-pot and rolled the letters he was writing.

"I don't mind." Harry shrugged and fell down on the sofa beside Severus.

"How is your preparation for your first test going on?" Severus asked as he watched Harry trying to find a comfortable position on the sofa, half of which was occupied by Severus himself.

"It's going good. Transfiguration happens to be one of the interesting subjects." Harry said and pulled his legs up on the sofa.

"Good to know." Severus said and stood up, leaving the sofa for the boy to fall onto. "I am here if you have any doubts, and I am sure Professor McGonagall won't mind helping you out." He gathered his papers and stretched his back a little.

"Yes, I know." Harry had closed his eyes as he slept on the sofa.

"Don't sleep. Dinner in half an hour." Severus said loudly as he made his way to his bedroom.

"Uh huh." Was the only response he got and he shook his head.

/

The last day of exams found Harry and a few more students on the platform as they waved to their friends who were going home for the holidays.

"Are you going to go to Snape's house too, mate?" Ron asked him as they stood aside from the crowd.

"Yes. We will leave today." Harry nodded.

"Well, you take care then, Harry." Hermione said as he hugged her best friend. "And write to us, constantly." She said sternly. "We are here for you, alright?"

"I know, Herms." Harry smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Oi! She's taken!" Ron said jokingly, making Hermione blush. "See you soon, mate." He said and gave him a one-armed hug which Harry returned.

"See you soon." Harry said and watched as everyone started filling in, in the train as she gave her customary whistle.

Harry waved at the familiar faces as he watched them go by. In the last carriage, he saw Draco Malfoy staring directly at him as the train slowly moved forward.  
Harry found no reason to be hostile, so he civilly nodded at the blonde who gave him a strange look before raising his hand as a goodbye gesture.

Harry was confused by Malfoy's behaviour this year. Sure, he riled Harry up for no apparent reason, but his words didn't hold as much hostility as they previously did.

Harry shook his head to get rid of all those thoughts. He had a Christmas to look forward to. A Christmas with his new family.

A small smile broke out on his face as he climbed the steps.

"Hey Harry, any plans for the holiday?" A boy from Hufflepuff asked him.

"Going home." Harry shrugged. Albus had already told him to tell anyone who asks, that he was specially going to be escorted to the Dursleys and won't be travelling by the Hogwarts' Express for security reasons.

"That's good." The boy nodded before running and catching up with his friends.

Harry trailed behind the group and quietly slipped down to the dungeons.

Severus was setting down his trunk in front of the floo as he entered.

"My house-elf, Lola, will be taking the trunks to the house." He said and instantly and elf popped up.

"Master Severus! It is so good to see you, Master Severus!" The elf bounced up and down in excitement.

"Hello, Lola. Has Sebastian arrived?" Severus asked her.

"Master Sebastian says he come before Christmas Eve, Master Severus." Lola replied. Her big curious eyes then landed on Harry.

"Lola, meet the new addition to the family, Harry Potter." Severus said and waved his hand in Harry's direction.

A huge grin spread on Lola face as she ran over to Harry and took his hand in his skinny and rough ones.

"Master Harry!" She said.

"Um…Hi, Lola." Harry said awkwardly. The only elf he had ever gotten attached to, was Dobby.

"We will meet you back at home." Severus said, rescuing Harry from her clutches.

"Yes, Master Severus. The new room is all ready for Master Harry." She told him.

"Thank you." Severus nodded at her and watched as she disappeared with both of their trunks.

"She can be a little difficult at times, but she is good." Severus explained to Harry.

"I can see that." Harry gave a wry chuckle. "When are we leaving?"

"I need to sort some things out with Albus, then, we can leave." Severus said. "I will be back in a bit."

"Yeah, okay." Harry said and relaxed on his usual seat, the sofa.

Severus returned half an hour later with a roll of parchment in his hand.

"What's that?" Harry asked him and he saw him hang his robes. Severus threw the roll towards him to catch.

"The name changing document that Professor Dumbledore talked about when you adopted me." Harry muttered as he read.

"Yes." Severus said and sat down on the kitchen table with his black coffee cup.

Harry slid into the seat opposite to him and exhaled.

"Um…Are you…alright with me getting your name?" Harry asked him unsurely.

Severus looked at him before nodding his head slowly.

"I am. I see no reason for the otherwise."

"Do I really have to? I mean, ' _Potter'_ is the only thing relating me to my parents." Harry said uncertainly, not wanting to hurt Severus' feelings.

"And the blood, Harry. You are more of your parents than your name." Severus said. "I know your father left you the whole Potter inheritance which will get you through life without getting a job."

"I don't plan on doing that!" Harry said, a little offended.

"I know." Severus said and put up a hand. "As soon as you change your name, you will become my heir. Along with the Potter inheritance, you will get mine too."

"But I don't need-" Harry started.

"Harry, I come from a long line of pure-bloods and have a lot in my name, so does Sebastian. Our father left his property to both of us. In our family, we are required to get an heir to pass on the money and the house." Severus explained.

"But what if you marry and have children of your own?"

"Highly unlikely." Severus said immediately. "But, if something as…unfeasible as that happens, you will always be my first heir."

"What about your brother? He doesn't even know you adopted me!" Harry said.

"I would have told him in a letter, but the look of surprise on his face carries more value to me." Severus smirked. Harry chuckled and shook his head.

"I-I…I can't tell you how much I am thankful of you, sir." Harry said and looked at the parchment. "If a year ago, Trelawny would have predicted something like this happening, I would have personally gone and admitted her in the mental ward of St. Mungo's."

"I have tried that, Dumbledore got her out." Severus said casually.

"What? Really?" Harry started laughing.

"Oh yes, it was my first year as a teacher and she predicted something awful and I escorted her to St Mungo's. When Dumbledore got the hint, he got her out and we laughed about it over tea the next day." Severus smirked at the now hysterical Harry who was about to fall off the chair due to laughing.

"I've _got_ to tell this to Ron." Harry said as he calmed down.

"Think about the name, Harry." Severus said and patted his shoulder as he exited the kitchen.

"I will." Harry said to no one in particular as he gazed at the words.

/

It was an understatement to say that Harry was hyperventilating due to shock.

Severus had an amused expression on his face as he watched the boy stare at the huge estate in front of him with an open jaw.

"You know, I am amazed at your ability to stand and stare at an object with your mouth open like that." Severus commented and reached over to push his chin upwards.

"Tell me this is an illusion charm which is showing me a mini- Hogwarts right now." Harry breathed.

"I assure you, it is not a charm. And _'mini-Hogwarts'_ is quite an exaggeration, Harry." Severus rolled his eyes before waving his wand in a complicated manner. Harry yelped as his body momentarily turned yellow.

"You are keyed to the wards now." Severus said and guided him inside the huge gates. A small path ran from the gates to the house. There were huge green trees as around them as they slowly made their way.

An old-fashioned English villa stood in the middle with creepers and climbers on covering it.

"Wow." Harry whispered as they entered the huge doors.

The inside was not overly royal, as Harry would have predicted. He instantly felt the warm glow in his stomach as he went inside.

"The parlour, the study, the kitchen, and my potions lab is downstairs." Severus said as he gave Harry a short tour of the house. The living room had the most comfortable sofa Harry had ever seen, and he blushed at as his childish desires told him to bounce on it.

"That quite a fluffy sofa." He commented.

"Oh yes. The sofa, your go-to spot." Severus teased him as he went through the letters that were kept on the coffee table. He gestured Harry to follow him as they went upstairs through a huge staircase.

"On this floor, you have my bedroom-" He gestured to a door on his right. "The same rules apply here too, knock before you come in." He said firmly. He then pointed to a door at the end of the corridor. "That is Sebastian's room."

He then walked towards the door which stood at the opposite of his own room.

"This is your room." He said simply and gestured Harry to open the door.

With shaking hands, Harry opened the door.

"Oh my…"

His green eyes took in the biggest room he had ever had the pleasure of owning.

"This…this is my room?" He asked with unsteady voice.

Severus nodded and gauged the boy's reaction. There was a four-poster bed in the middle of the room and a mahogany desk with a chair sat on the left side of the bed.

On the right, a curtain which went from the ceiling to the floor, obscured Harry's view.

He frowned as he went over and slowly opened them. French doors were built in the wall which led to a small balcony.

Harry cautiously stepped onto the balcony and breathed in deeply. Long acres of green land dominated the view. Harry could make out a small pond on the right side, but huge trees blocked his view.

His vision blurred as he realized that all of this was his, and it was given to him by the man who hated his for the past 5 years. The man who apologized to him. The man who had held him and showed him love when he needed it the most. The man who adopted him and told him that he _deserved_ everything.

Harry turned around and saw Severus leaning on the now open French doors, looking at him in confusion.

Harry looked at the man with tears blurring his eyes.

"Y-you didn't have to, sir." He said softly.

"I know." Severus said and stood up straight. He walked over to Harry and put a hand on his cheek. "But I wanted to." He gave Harry a rare smile before patting the boy's cheek.

"I love it." Harry said and looked around the room again.

"I am glad." Severus nodded.

"I can't believe this." Harry whispered to himself as he opened the door to the bathroom which had a big bath. "From being able to shower twice a week, to having a bathroom in my room. And from living in a cupboard to having a royal room to myself."

Severus' eyes hardened as he heard him. Thank god Albus had taken care of those inhumane muggles, or else Severus would have himself gone and tortured them with some of his Death Eater spells.

"You are not with them, Harry." He said, keeping his anger out of his voice. "Here, you will have everything."

Harry nodded at him before closing the door and opening the other one beside it.

His eyes widened at the sight. Rows and rows of clothes hung all around the small room which was thrice as big as his cupboard.

"Ar-are these all mine?" He asked Severus.

"Yes. I have noticed that you possess very minimal clothes, so I took the liberty of ordering some for you."

Harry touched on of the shirt which were hanging close to him.

"These are so soft." He murmured.

"Made by one of the finest in Britain." Severus offered proudly.

"How can I ever repay you, Severus?" Severus shook his head at question.

"How do you repay the sun for giving you light, Harry?"

Harry frowned at him.

"I don't-"

"Exactly." Severus said as he went towards the exit of the room.

"Breakfast at 8, lunch as 12 and dinner at 7." He threw over his shoulder and went out. "If you're late, you eat in the kitchen."

Now that he was alone, Harry could literally _feel_ the giant room.

All of this, for him.

He exhaled loudly before moving towards his trunks to take out his book and old clothes and other things he had kept in his trunk over the years.

It was time he took them out and kept them somewhere safe, rather than carrying them around in his trunk everywhere.

He took out the album Hagrid had given him and quickly flipped through it, putting it out on his table. The broken mirror, which was Sirius', went beside it. It was kept in a small transparent box which only Severus could open, so that Harry didn't have any access to it to fulfil his 'needs'. His first photo with Ron and Hermione was also soon put there. His novels, muggle and magical, found their way in the small bookcase on the wall. His Firebolt was neatly hung on the wall on its stand, and his Quidditch posters were soon stuck to the wall.

The room looked more warm and comfortable now, Harry thought as he flopped on the bouncy bed.

The door opened and Severus poked his head inside.

"Dinner's ready." He said and took a good look around the now decorated room.

"You like it?" Harry asked as he sat up.

"Good job." Severus approved. "Welcome home."

Harry grinned at him before standing up and following him downstairs.

Yes, home indeed.


	12. Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

**A/N: Hey guys! I am sorry for the long delay! My computer broke down and I had to write everything on my phone.**

 **Anyways, here's a super long chapter for you all!**

 **You guys should know that I absolutely** _ **love**_ **Christmas and this chapter has a lot of fluff due to that :p**

 **This story is set in Harry's sixth year, I am sorry I didn't mention it before.**

 **Also, Sebastian makes an appearance here. I really hope you all like him.**

 **Chapter 12 – Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!**

The first three days of Harry's stay at the manor passed with him exploring the whole estate. The house itself was so big that Harry had to call Lola twice to find his way.

The grounds impressed Harry the most. A cluster of trees enclosed a small pond where he found that he felt most peaceful.

He returned to the house for lunch and directly went to the dining room where Severus was already seated.

"Had fun?" He asked as Lola poured a glass of what Harry estimated to be one of England's finest wines.

"Lots." Harry nodded and thanked Lola for his water. "I love the pond."

"Oh yes. It has a rich history." Severus said as he sipped his beverage.

"It does?"

"Scout the library for a book called _'Ancient Living'_ by Clara Frankins."

Harry noted the name in his head and resolved to search for it.

They ate and talked about the trivial things.

After lunch, Harry followed Severus to his Potions Lab. Just outside the door, Severus stopped him and looked at him.

"You might be a little surprised when you enter and try not to touch anything without my permission." Before Harry could ask him any questions, the man opened the door and Harry's eyes bulged out for probably 4th time that week.

"What are you?" He said as he gazed at the obviously magically enlarged room with the most top notch potions ingredients and necessities that Harry had ever seen in one room.

"It's a family business. We sell ingredients and cauldrons and stirrers, potions." Severus said as he gave Harry the tour of the huge room.

"All of your potions material is labelled as Alan's Brewery." Harry said as he squinted to read the name off of a cauldron.

"Yes. Alan Snape, my father. He established all of this." Severus said.

"You do know that every person in the Wizarding World uses Alan's Brewery, right?" Harry said in awe. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Now where was the fun in that?" Severus smirked.

They spent a few hours in the lab with Harry listening to every word Severus uttered about potions and the history of Alan's Brewery.

"I still can't believe you went to Hogwarts and no one knew that you were the son of Alan Snape." Harry said as they sat down for dinner that evening.

"My father was never the one to go out in public. He kept the name a secret for a long while before he had to reveal it. Your mother knew, of course, and so did Dumbledore. I had explicitly told him not to reveal it to anyone."

"People act different around you when they know who you are." Harry said knowingly.

"Yes." Severus nodded. "Your father was quite opposite in that manner. He didn't treat me differently when the news got out in my sixth year."

"How many girls approached you that year?" Harry smirked at him.

"More than you've seen in your entire life."

Harry laughed as their food appeared and they dug in.

/

Harry sat up and blinked as he realized where he was. He sighed happily and fell back in his soft bed. It was too comfortable and warm to get up. He had just buried his head in his pillow to go back to sleep when a knock on the door made him groan loudly.

"It's the holidays." Harry whined uselessly.

"I refuse to let you sleep in just because it is the holidays." Severus said and flicked his hand, making the curtains part and letting the sunlight stream inside.

"You are pure evil." Harry mumbled.

"I know. Breakfast in 20 minutes." The man threw over his shoulder as he went down the hall.

Harry lay there for a minute or two before dragging himself to the bathroom.

He dressed himself in his new navy blue trousers and khaki sweater before padding downstairs, just in time for breakfast. Severus was as usual sitting in his seat to the right side of the head of the table. Harry frowned at that.

"How come you never sit at the head of the table?" He asked a he slid in opposite to the man.

Snape looked up from his newspaper before answering.

"Father used to sit there." He said.

Harry made an ' _oh'_ sound before serving himself some coffee.

"When did he-"

"8 years ago." Severus replied from behind his newspaper.

"I am sorry." Harry offered.

"Thank you."

They were in the middle of their meal when the doors to the house opened. Harry looked up at the grating sound and found Severus smiling a bit.

"Hey Sevvy!" A booming sound came from the entrance hall of the house. Severus rolled his eyes as Harry barely contained his laughter.

"In the dining hall, Sebastian." He called back.

"I brought you such an amazing present, Sev. I know you like to get drunk on FireWhis-" The man stopped talking as he entered the room and his eyes landed on the two occupants.

Harry's first look at Sebastian Snape was interesting, to say the least. If Severus wouldn't have been sitting in front of him, he would have easily mistaken the new man as his Potions Professor. Both the brothers had the same haircut, Harry noticed. Sebastian's eyes were a few shades lighter than Severus' and his nose was a lot straighter. His cheekbones were less prominent and his physique was a lot less relaxed. While Severus carried himself with elegance, Sebastian was a little…rough.

"Hi." Harry said shyly.

"Hello." Sebastian said with a wry chuckle before shooting Severus a look. "You bringing students home for holidays, Severus? What ever happened to your abominable reputation?"

Severus chuckled as he stood up.

"Only if the student is my adopted son, Sebastian." He said as he walked towards the man.

Harry managed to suppress his laughs again as the color drained from Sebastian's face and the huge bag he was holding fell to the ground. Harry could hear glass clinking and he raised an eyebrow at the bag.

He stood behind his chair as he saw Severus move over towards the man. He knew Severus was enjoying himself and he shook his head in amusement. Who would have thought the bat of the dungeons took pleasure in terrorizing his sibling?

"Wh-what was that, now?" Sebastian blinked as he tried to believe what his eyes were showing him. Harry moved forward and offered the man his hand for a shake.

"Harry Potter, sir." He introduced himself.

Sebastian seemed to be in some kind of daze as he shook the boy's hand.

"Of course. Who doesn't know you?" He muttered. "Sebastian Snape, Mr. Potter. Trust Severus to go and do the impossible of adopting a child. Harry Potter, nonetheless."

Severus rolled his eyes again before speaking up.

"Circumstances." He said as his brother turned towards him.

"I am quite eager to hear about them." He said and gave Severus a harsh glare for not preparing him in advance.

"I-I will be upstairs." Harry cleared his throat before leaving the room, giving them some privacy.

Sebastian watched as Harry practically scurried out of the room.

"Goodness, Severus. Adopting a child?" He burst out. "Did someone yank your heart out and warmed it on a stove before lodging it right back in?"

Severus couldn't help it, he started laughing.

"This is not funny!" Sebastian said with a twitch of his lips.

"Sure is." Severus said in-between his laughs.

"Bloody sod." Sebastian said before hugging his brother. "Oh, I missed you, brother."

"I missed you too, little brother."

"I am not little."

"Yes, you are."

"Am not."

"Your argument itself proves that."

"I hate you."

"Me too."

Both of them looked at each other before grinning madly.

"I got you some presents." Sebastian said as he looked down for his bag. He picked it up and shoved it in Severus' hands. "World's finest FireWhiskey from Montreal, Canada."

"Do you always have to bring alcohol?" Severus complained as they made their way to the living room.

"Just for that comment, consider that as your Christmas present. I am not getting you anything else." Sebastian said as he fell down on one of the armchairs and Severus sat in the one opposite to him. Lola instantly brought two cups of tea for them.

Sebastian blushed deeply as he saw the glare the house elf sent his way when she handed him his cup.

"She's still mad at me."

"You did try to kiss her." Severus smirked.

"I was drunk."

"Your excuse for everything, I presume."

Sebastian just gave him a _'Shut up'_ glare before sipping his tea.

"So, Harry Potter? Spill it all out, Severus."

Severus sighed and put down his cup.

"He was at a rather…adverse place, when the school started. As you know, Dumbledore had ordered me to teach him Occlumency last year."

"And he looked into your pensive. Yeah, I remember how you had stormed in the house and broken my one and only telephone." Sebastian said with a sad tone.

"It was abhorrent, an unnecessary addition." Severus pointed it out.

"You are just jealous because I got more phone calls than you."

"Yes, calls of women from all over England." Severus scoffed.

"You threw it at the wall!" Sebastian said and pointed to a small scratch on the left wall.

"It rang every bloody minute!"

"It was _my_ phone!"

"Oh shut it!" Severus said exasperatedly. "I did us all a favor."

"I cannot believe you." Sebastian said and shook his head in dismay. "Anyways, don't wander off the topic."

"During one of our sessions in Occlumency, I noticed something that all of us should have noticed years ago about his home life." His fist clenched as the thought of treatment that Harry had gone through at the hands of the Dursleys.

Sebastian's eyes widened.

"No way." He breathed. "He was _abused_?"

Severus didn't answer but just looked at his brother.

"Harry Potter, abused at the hands of those… vile _muggles_?" Sebastian said, shocked.

"Yes." Severus said and cleared his head to keep his anger at bay.

"And you adopted him? Just like that?"

"Yes."

Sebastian leaned forward.

"Severus, I know you. You are not the one to act rashly or impulsively." He said. "There is something else. Isn't there?"

' _Damn it, Sebastian. Why do you always know everything?'_ Severus thought.

"Yes."

"Stop saying ' _yes'_ , Severus!" Sebastian said with irritation. "Talk to me! I come home and all of a sudden I get to know that my brother has adopted a child. And no other than _Harry Potter_!"

"He cut himself." Severus said over his words. Sebastian's eyes softened as he watched his brother. "He was too far gone, Sebastian. He was too broken."

Sebastian sighed and nodded before falling back.

"Brought back your memories?" He asked him.

"I had to help, Sebastian."

Sebastian nodded again before exhaling loudly.

"Bloody hell." He chuckled. "I have a nephew to dote on, now."

"Don't get any absurd ideas, Sebastian. If I find you bringing even a drop of alcohol near him before he turns seventeen, I will hex you till you cry for mercy." Severus warned dangerously.

"Jesus Papa Bear, I am not making him an addict." Sebastian threw his hands up in defense.

"You keep your habits away from him, along with your American slang that you seem to have picked up on your endeavors."  
Sebastian rolled his eyes and stood up.

"We'll see." He threw over his shoulder as he went up the stairs.

"I am not joking, Sebastian!" Severus called after him, not really expecting an answer.

/

Harry was standing in the balcony, thinking about the newest Snape. He quite liked the man, even though he barely exchanged any words.

His thoughts took a sudden turn and darkness enveloped him.

If his mother and father were alive, would he also had had a smaller sibling?

A small brother or a sister to take care of?

Harry smiled. He would have liked that.

"A bit cold out there, isn't it?"

Harry suddenly looked back at the voice.

Sebastian stood inside his room as he looked at Harry with a small smile.

"I like it here." He responded.

"I am afraid my body won't agree with you." The man said and rubbed his hands together.

Harry grinned at him before going inside and closing the doors behind him.

"You did quite a good job with this old place." Sebastian said as he sat on Harry's desk chair and looked around the room.

"Thank you." Harry said and took a seat on the bed.

"Harry, I apologize for my sudden behavior earlier this morning." Sebastian said.

"I understand. It was flung on you. I would have reacted the same way." Harry said, dismissing his apology.

"Severus gets a weird kind of pleasure in making me suffer."

Harry laughed at that.

"You _and_ the students."

Sebastian smiled at him. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from Harry's face.

"What?" Harry frowned as he caught the man staring at him.

Sebastian blinked at him before answering. "It is scary how much look like both of your parents."

Harry perked up at that.

"You knew them?"

"I knew Lily, naturally." Sebastian shrugged. "She and Severus were inseparable. I used to be jealous of their friendship. She always treated me like a best friend even though I was a year younger than her and Severus."

Harry blinked back his tears and his eyes darted over to the album he had kept on his desk.

"She loved you so much."

"You saw her after the marriage?" Harry asked him.

"She and Severus had a falling out, but I met her occasionally. I was even invited to their wedding."

"Did you go?" Sebastian shook his head sadly.

"No. Severus urged me to go, but I couldn't do that to him. I met Lily and James after the wedding, though. Gave them my blessings."  
Harry felt a little envy that the man got to know his parents more than him, but he discarded it.

"Was that the last time you saw her?"

"No, no. The last time I saw her was when she came home from St. Mungo's with you for the first time. She and James had called me." Sebastian felt a small sense of nostalgia as he talked. "You were so small. You had a small tuft of raven hair like you father, and your eyes…" he gulped. "Emerald like your mother's. You were smiling and cooing in her arms, and as soon as she handed you over to me, you started bawling your eyes out." He chuckled. "I was never good with children."

Harry was hanging on to his every word.

"You were in Slytherin?" He asked him.

"Yes." The man nodded. "It's a family house."

"Guess I am the exception, huh?" Harry said lightly, but Sebastian could her the hint of sadness in his voice.

"My father's uncle." He said and watched as Harry looked at him suspiciously. "My father's uncle, Benedict Snape, was in Gryffindor."

"What happened to him?" Harry was ready to hear the word ' _disowned'_.

"He died in the war. Died fighting those Death Eaters." Harry blinked.

"Oh. I am sorry."

"Yeah, he was a great old coot. He didn't have any kids, so he treated us like his own grandchildren." He sighed sadly.

"You said my mum and dad called you." Harry said. "What for?"

Sebastian opened his mouth to answer when the door to Harry's room opened.

"Boring him with your stupid stories, are you Sebastian?" Severus drawled.

"He wasn't." Harry piped in.

"My stories aren't stupid. They are adventurous. Something your life lacks."

Harry snickered at their bickering.

"And my life is intellectual, something your brain lacks." Sebastian rolled his eyes at him.

The trio made their way downstairs where Severus and Harry sat on the armchairs and Sebastian occupied the sofa.

"So, Harry, how's school?"

Harry nodded as he sipped his tea.

"Great, good."

"I've heard you're exceptional in potions."

"I do have an interest in it, yeah."

"Harry's been helping me prepare the potion to cure Dumbledore." Harry's head snapped towards Severus'.

"Whatever I know, Dumbledore tells him the same." Severus shrugged at the boy.

"Do you also have the Dark Mark?" Harry asked boldly.

Sebastian shook his head.

"Nope. That stupidity was strictly restricted to Severus." He said. "The reasons of which I am sure Severus will share with you soon." He looked at his brother who nodded slightly.

The trio talked till lunch and Harry got to know Sebastian more. He learned that while Severus had an undying love for books, Sebastian hated them with a burning passion.

"Books are nothing more than scribbles on papers, Harry. Life stories of authors, in which I have no interest. Best knowledge is earned by experience, not by reading about some ancient bloke's love story."

To which Severus had responded with a snort and a string of colorful obscenities which Harry had vowed to never repeat.

Harry had also learned that while the brother took sadistic pleasure in passing evil comments about each other's habits, they were quite similar in many ways. They both enjoyed different kinds of tea; they would take one sip and keep the rest aside for a while and enjoyed the taste.

Their likes and dislikes may not be the same, but they surely balanced each other out.

Sebastian was, as Harry noticed, a little laid back. Severus was a follower of rules, but Sebastian seemed like he didn't know what life with discipline meant.

All in all, Harry liked the man in all the 4 hours he had known him for.

/

"Damn it!" Harry sulked as Sebastian laughed.

"I told you. Glide smoothly." The older wizard said and grinned as he did a small jig on the frozen ice.

"Severus was right, I should have never agreed to this." Harry grumbled as he struggled to sit up.

"Oh stop being such a party pooper like Severus." Sebastian skated over to him and helped him up.

Sebastian had arrived 8 days ago and had bonded with Harry.

Currently, it was Christmas and Sebastian had invited Harry to ice skate with him on the pond near the house. Harry's ecstatic attitude had slowly been deteriorating since he had learned that Sebastian was an amazing skater. Despite several warnings from Severus, Harry had agreed to take on the adventure. Now, sitting on the frozen lake with a sore bum, the young wizard could literally imagine Severus sipping tea and smirking at him with ' _I told you so'_ written on his forehead.

He groaned as his back protested his every movement.

"Maybe we should head back." Sebastian said as he noticed Harry's mood.

"Yes, thank you." Harry sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry for spoiling your fun." He apologised as they trudged through the snow towards the house.

"Ah it's fine. I had fun watching you fall thousand times on your backside." Sebastian laughed as Harry shoved him a little.

Sebastian often reminded Harry of Sirius. His rich laugh, his jokes, his fruitless opinions on things that he didn't understand, it was like watching a Slytherin version of Sirius dance around Snape. Harry gulped as Sirius' thoughts suddenly made him press his nails in his palm.

' _No no no no.'_ He thought. He shook his head and tried to think of something else.

"D-Do you skate often?" Harry asked him and cleared his throat, making his voice less stiff.

"No." Sebastian shook his head. "To be honest, today I skated after almost 20 years."

Harry gaped at him.

"But you were so good! It was like you practice every day!" He said in disbelief.

"I know, I'm awesome." Harry laughed at his attempt at narcissism which failed miserably.

"The last time I skated was when I was 16." Sebastian said he looked at the approaching house. "Severus had graduated from Hogwarts, and was about to go to London for further education. Our Father was so happy that he had arranged for a small party with the family friends. But I was sad and angry. I didn't want Severus to leave and I still had a whole year at Hogwarts left. And frankly, without Severus, Hogwarts was no fun. His dry wit knew, or rather knows, no bounds." He chuckled at his words. "So when Severus asked me what I wanted from him before he left, I asked him to go skating with me. It was summer, so we charmed the lake and the trees around it to make it look like winter, and we skated for hours. We didn't talk, we just enjoyed each other's company." Sebastian said and looked at Harry.

"I never really took Severus for a family man." Harry admitted.

"Nobody did, nobody does. You cannot know Severus unless he lets you in." Sebastian looked at Harry and put a hand on his shoulder. "He let you in, Harry. And he doesn't let many people in."

Harry nodded.

"I know."

They walked in silence for a while.

"Did you really kiss Lola?" Harry asked suddenly.

"How many times do I have to say this, I was _drunk_!" Sebastian groaned.

"Were you, though?" Harry smirked at him.

"You cheeky brat, come here!" Sebastian bent down and make a sloppy snow ball before throwing it at Harry.

Harry laughed and dodged it before kicking some loose snow at Sebastian's face.

They ran amok chasing one another till they reached the house.

"I see you enjoyed yourselves." Severus commented when he saw them kneeling in front of the fire.

They both have him identical childish grins before nodding their heads.

"Good." He said before disappearing upstairs.

"He's not a festive man, is he?" Harry said as he watched him go.

"If by festive you mean wearing green and red with tinsel in your hair, then no." Sebastian chuckled.

An hour before dinner, the three men sat in front of the fire with Severus and Sebastian nursing a glass of wine and Harry sipping his second bottle of butterbeer.

"Alright, presents!" Sebastian exclaimed.

"Really Sebastian, one would think you are 10 instead of 36." Severus shook his head.

"Who cares?" The younger brother replied jovially. "Go on, Harry! Get the presents!"

Harry smiled before sauntering over to the huge decorated Christmas tree which they had brought last evening and had decorated this morning.

He sat down in front of the wrapped boxes and started to hand out the gifts to the respected person.

Even after getting gift for the past 6 years, it still surprised Harry to find a small pile of gifts with his name on them.

"Alright Harry, we have a tradition." Sebastian said and Severus groaned.

"Do we really have to?" He asked.

"Yes we do, Severus. Stop moaning like a whiney child." Sebastian said as Harry snickered. "Anyways, as I was saying, we have a tradition. It was introduced to us by our grandmother from our father's side and we have followed it every Christmas. My father loved it, I love it, and as much as Severus _shows_ that he hates it, he loves it too." Severus rolled his eyes.

"You take a gift given to you by any of us, and then you try to guess what's inside of it. You have 2 chances. If you can guess it, you open it. But if you can't guess it right, then you have to sing a Christmas Carol before you open it." Sebastian grinned at Harry's shocked face.

"Nonsense." Severus muttered darkly.

"Nonsense because you always have to sing one, don't you Sev?" Sebastian rounded up on him. "Alright, first we open the gifts given to us by others." He said.

Harry kept the gifts given by Sebastian and Severus aside, and took the one which had a sloppy handwriting, which Harry knew was Ron's.

He carefully opened the gift and grinned at the contents.

A twin box of Chudley Cannons miniature figures rested on his lap. He opened the boxes and 2 players, the seeker and the beater, stared to fly around his head, chasing an imaginary snitch.

"Let me guess, Mr Weasley?" Severus said as one of the players flew over to him.

"Yes, it's from Ron." Harry said and laughed as the beater got stuck in Sebastian's hair while the latter pulled at it before sending it back in Harry's direction.

He carefully placed the players back in the boxes before deciding to open Hermione's.

She had gifted him with a beautiful silver quill which had something engraved on it. Harry squinted at it to read the small text.

 _You are not alone._

 _H.G_

Harry smiled at it before keeping it away.

' _No I'm not, not anymore.'_ He thought as he saw Severus and Sebastian laughing at something.

Harry received Hagrid's infamous rock cakes, a huge box of chocolates from the Weasley twins, his customary Christmas jumper from Mr and Mrs Weasley, and a box of lemon drops and a pair of earmuffs from Dumbledore.

Just when Harry thought he was done opening his gifts, his eyes fell on another box which he had neglected to open.

It was not named and he frowned at it.

"Wow, look at you, all surrounded by gifts." Sebastian commented. "Who's that from?" He asked.

Harry shrugged. "It's not named." He said and turned it over in his hands.

Severus frowned at the box.

"Should I open it?" Harry asked him.

"Well the mail does go through all the protection spells before reaching us." Sebastian said.

Harry looked at Severus for confirmation who nodded slightly.

Harry ripped open the paper and opened the small box.

A pair of gloves rested inside with another note. He opened it and started smiling like an idiot.

' _I hope they fit you. I got the same size as the ones you gave me. Merry Christmas.'_

"Well?" Sebastian demanded.

"It's from Ginny." Harry said and took out the gloves and slipped them on. They fit perfectly.

"Ahh the _Wolf_ who stole your gloves that day." Severus smirked at him.

Harry nodded before keeping them inside the box and placing it with other boxes.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Sebastian asked him.

"No." _Not yet._ Harry shook his head.

Severus eyed him carefully before making a mental note to speak to the boy about his teenage desires.

Sebastian frowned.

"Well, if you need any advice, Uncle Sebastian here," he pointed to himself. "Is quite an expert in courting woman."

"That's a rather subtle description for a womaniser." Severus snorted as a throw pillow hit him in his face.

"Anyways, let's open our presents now!" Sebastian said, a little too cheerfully for Severus and Harry's liking. "I'll go first."

He picked up Harry's present and shook it near his head. His face contorted in concentration as he tried to guess what was inside the small box.

"A quill box?" He asked Harry.

"Nope." Harry grinned and took a sip of his butterbeer.

Sebastian took a few more minutes examining it.

"Oh for god's sake just say it already!" Severus said impatiently as he watched the man glare at him.

"You are no fun." Sebastian pouted. "A book?"

"Close enough." Harry shrugged. "Go on, open it."

Sebastian's eyes lit up and he opened the present. His eyes widened and his mouth formed a little ' _oh'_ as he looked inside.

A beautiful black leather journal lay inside with a black and golden muggle pen. He took it out and examined the book. His name was engraved at the bottom of the book in golden letters.

' _Sebastian Alexander Snape.'_

"Severus told me you like writing about your time spent away from home, so I got you a journal." Harry explained foolishly.

"Harry! This is wonderful! It's so beautiful." He breathed and looked at Harry. "Thank you!"

Harry blushed and nodded his head.

"You're welcome."

"Okay Sev, yours is the next one." A slightly bigger box with forest green wrapping sat on Sebastian's lap. He shook it like he did with Harry's gift and his eyes bulged out of his head.

"Is this what I think it is?" He asked Severus with excitement lacing his voice.

"No Sebastian, it's _not_ a potion which keeps you clean for days on end so that you can skip showers." Severus laughed at his brother's glare. "Yes, it is what you think it is."

Sebastian excitedly ripped open the box and gave a cry of surprise.

Harry curiously leaned over to see the contents.

"IT'S A TELEPHONE!" Sebastian said. "Thank you! I finally got my baby back!"

Severus and Harry rolled their eyes at his words.

"You're the best brother in this world." Sebastian said and gave Severus a side hug from his position.

"I know." Severus said smugly.

"Well, these are wonderful. Thank you." Sebastian said to them both. "Now, it's Severus' turn. And Harry, you will need those earmuffs."

Harry laughed at him.

"Severus is _rubbish_ at guessing. He can't tell apart a cauldron and a person's head with his eyes closed."

"That is over exaggeration." Severus defended himself as he picked up the nearest present which was Sebastian's.

"A bottle of some liquor." He said as he saw the long box. Sebastian always got liquor.

"BEEP! Wrong answer!" Sebastian grinned.

"You always get liquor." Severus narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"Well, not this time. Change is good, Severus!" Harry grinned at them.

Severus looked at the box again before smirking.

"A stirrer." He said.

"Damn it!" Sebastian swore.

Harry laughed at the scene and asked Severus to open it.

Severus slowly peeled away the wrapping and inside lay a beautiful golden potion stirrer. He ran a hand over it before passing it to Harry.

"Thank you." Severus said and Sebastian winked.

"It's beautiful." Harry said and handed it back to Severus.

"Now, yours." Severus said and picked up Harry's gift. Harry chewed his bottom lip and nervously took a sip of his butterbeer, downing it in one gulp. He had given a lot of thought in this gift. He had carefully weighed Severus' likes and dislikes and had finally come to his conclusion.

"A scarf?" Severus asked.

Harry shook his head.

"A clothing item, then?"

Sebastian snorted and Harry gestures for Severus to open it.

Severus took out a beautiful black soft robe. He ran his hand over the material and was mesmerised by the perfect stitching.

"I got it made from one of my contacts in Diagon Alley." Harry said.

"It's beautiful, Harry." Sebastian said as he grasped the end of the robe which Severus was holding.

"It has some special charms on it. If you spill a potion, or anything, it won't catch any stains. And it repels fire and mild curses." Harry looked at Severus, who was yet to say anything.

"It truly is beautiful, Harry." Severus breathed. "I love it. Thank you."

Harry let out a breath he was holding and nodded at his adoptive father.

"Why did you guess it, Severus? We wanted to hear a Christmas Carol like usual!" Sebastian groaned mockingly. Severus smirked at the man.

"Change is good. Isn't it, Sebastian?"

Harry snickered at him.

"Anyways, Harry, your turn." Sebastian ignored Severus.

Harry took a deep breath and took Sebastian's present first.

After one wrong guess, he guessed it correctly and took out a dragon hide wand holster.

Sebastian showed him how to put it on his arm and how to snap his hand to make the wand fall in his hand.

"It's brilliant!" Harry grinned as he tried it for the 5th time and finally got a hang of it.

Next, he took Severus' gift which was pretty small. Harry didn't mind small gifts, and happily started guessing again.

He got both the wrong guesses and Sebastian delightfully clapped his hands.

"Yes, finally!"

Harry but his lip and looked at Severus who shrugged.

"A tradition is a tradition, Harry." He said.

"Yes, not even your dad is going to get you out of it." Sebastian said it a rush but Harry's stomach emanated a warm glow at the word ' _Dad_.'

Was he supposed to call him that?

Was he ready?

"…Harry!" Harry's head snapped towards Severus' concerned face.

"Yeah, sorry. Um… I don't know many carols." He admitted sheepishly.

"Surely you know Jingle Bells." Sebastian said and started humming the tune. Soon, Harry caught up and they both sang Jingle Bells with most off key tune ever.

When they finished, Severus raised his glass of wine in cheers.

"To the worst singers on the planet." He said and they laughed, sipping their drinks.

Harry got to open his gift and he took out a necklace with a platinum pendant of a small feather. Harry examined it with a curious eye.

"It is also a portkey." Severus explained. "Say the word 'Lily' and tap it twice, it will be activated and will directly deposit you and the person holding you in your bedroom upstairs."

"Lily?" Harry asked in disbelief.

Severus shrugged.

Harry smiled and thanked Severus profusely before putting it around his neck. It burned for a second before returning to normal and blending into his skin. He would wear it everywhere, he decided.

After the room was cleaned, all the wrappings were thrown away and the gifts were safely in everyone's rooms, the party of three sat down for the delicious dinner that Lola had prepared.

After dinner, they sat talking in the living room near the fire. Harry watched from the huge window in the room as the snow fell like a blanket on the earth. Severus and Sebastian were conversing lightly in the background, their voices mixing with the muggle Christmas music that was playing since the morning.

Harry's thoughts drifted to how happy he truly was this Christmas. He had a father who cared for him, an uncle who didn't beat him to death, great friends. For the first time in a while, he felt normal. Just a boy who wanted to enjoy Christmas with a family.

Then he remembered his name and frowned.

 _Harry James Potter_

As much as he loved carrying his father's name, Harry hated the fact that the name always brought fame with it. It was as if the name was not destined for a person with a normal life. And Harry _craved_ normalcy from the very beginning.

"When are you leaving?" Severus' deep baritone brought Harry out of his musings and he looked at the two brothers.

"You're leaving already?" Harry asked Sebastian.

Sebastian sighed.

"I have some work I need to take care of."

"Stay for a few more days." Severus said.

"I was thinking of staying till after New Year's Eve." Sebastian nodded his head.

"That would be great." Harry grinned at him.

That night, when Harry was almost about to go to sleep, the door to his room opened and Severus stepped in.

Harry didn't bother to sit up and watched as Severus took a seat on the edge of bed beside his chest.

"Sebastian really likes you."

"I like him too."

They sat in silence.

"I realised that I have been keeping some things from you which are in turn…hindering our relationship."

Harry frowned at his words but kept quiet. It was true that Sebastian was more approachable than Severus, but Harry always went to Severus when in need.

"You've been asking me questions and I've been avoiding answering them." Severus continued. "I've been keeping you at bay, but not anymore."

Harry licked his lips, not knowing what to say.

"I know you have been wanting to know how I know so much about self-harm." Harry flinched at the words. "It was my best friend before your mother. Nathan Harmon."

"You don't have to tell me anything, Severus. It's okay." Harry said, noticing the pain in the man's voice.

"No. I need to let it out, Harry. I've been keeping it hidden for years." Severus said. "Anyways, there's a small town, just down the hill. Nathan moved there when I was 2. My father used to take us to the town every Saturday and Sunday. That's when I met him." Severus took a breath. "His home life wasn't exactly ideal. His father was a drunk, mother was a drug addict. My father basically adopted him when we were 7. After a while, his life caught up to him and he started...enjoying the beatings his father gave him, he started thinking that he deserved it. We tried to make him stay at the manor but he always went back."

"Your parents didn't do anything?" Harry asked in a small voice.

"My father took legal actions against his parents, but Nathan, out of fear, didn't give any testimony. The suit failed and he returned to them. That's when he started to prefer his own company. He never came out to play, he was always alone. Me and Lily tried to talk to him but he never budged. I started noticing scars in his wrists and legs and tried to help him, but he wouldn't accept it."

Severus was staring out of the window the curtains were parted, and the moon shone brightly in the sky. Harry always liked to sleep while watching the sky. It was like a daily chore for Severus now; he would wake up in the middle of the night, check on Harry, close the curtains so that the sunlight won't wake the boy too early, and then go back to sleep after having a drink of water.

"What happened to him?" Harry asked.

"He…" Severus cleared his throat. "He died when I was 14."

"Was he a muggle?"

"Yes." Severus sighed. "After he died, I read everything there was on depression, self-harm, and everything. I didn't want to fail anyone else."

They sat in silence for minute before Harry broke it.

"You didn't."

Severus looked at him.

"You didn't fail me." Harry repeated and sat up. "Whenever I have any urges, I think of you, Severus. I always think of you and how you care so much." A tear escaped Severus' eye but Harry pretended that he didn't see it. He didn't want to see it. He didn't want to think of Severus as the weaker one.

Severus smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. His hand rested on his cheek for a brief moment before he stood up.

"Good night, Harry." He said.

"Good night…Severus." Harry had the strongest desire to call him ' _Dad'_ , but he couldn't.

When Severus left, Harry lied down with a sigh.

It was true. Yesterday, when he had thought of Sirius, he wanted to hit his head on something, but Severus' thoughts had flooded his minds and he had resisted.

He took a deep breath and cleared his mind.

Life was good right now.

It was stable.

He closed his eyes and fell asleep within ten minutes.

 **Also, I was thinking of doing one shots. I have a few ideas which I cannot develop into full stories and was thinking of penning them into small one shots. I will also be taking requests. Let me know what you guys think about this idea!**


	13. Goodbyes

**Chapter 13 - Goodbyes**

Having Sebastian in the house was quite good, according to Harry. The guy was fun-loving and even Severus had opened up more than usual with him around.

Harry was enjoying his days at the manor. In the morning, the three of them would have breakfast, then Harry would retreat to the library to complete his homework while Severus and Sebastian would indulge in some business discussions or brew together. Then in the evenings, after dinner, Sebastian and Harry would play a game of chess with Severus commenting every now and then. And before sleeping, Severus always made sure to come into Harry's room and tell him good night before going to his room.

While Severus was a prodigy in Potions, Sebastian couldn't even spell ' _Asphodel'_.

"I was always a dabbler in the field of Potions, Harry." Sebastian had announced casually.

"A dabbler with no future." Severus had commented with a snort.

Sebastian excelled at Defence, Severus had told him. He was an excellent dueller and Harry had vowed to learn some spells from the man before he left. Sebastian also had a great streak for business, he had gotten it from his mother.

"She was an old hag but she had amazing ways of handling Dad's business." He had told Harry.

Harry found it fascinating to learn about the two brothers and their lives. He never knew his Potions Professor, whom he had hated for the past 5 years, led such an interesting life.

"Can I go into town?" Harry asked one day at the breakfast table.

"Alone?" Severus frowned.

"Why not?" Harry shrugged. "I know the way, Sebastian explained it to me."

Sebastian had also showed him how to sneak into the town at night without disrupting the wards, but that information was best kept away from Severus.

"If you are quite sure, you can go. I have a list of things I need from town, would you get them for me?" Severus asked him.

"Yes, no problem."

"I feel quite bored in the manor. Mind if I join you?" Sebastian asked him and stretched his hands above his head as the empty dishes disappeared.

"That would be great." Harry said. He wasn't particularly keen on going alone, having someone with him was good.

"Good. I'll meet you in 10 in the entrance hall." The man said and went upstairs.

"Here." Severus handed him a piece of paper. "The book store has ordered some books that I need, pick them up. And if you like any book you want to buy, put it on my tab."

Harry nodded and read further.

"A gallon of dark chocolate?" He raised his eyebrow.

"I like to indulge myself from time to time." Severus smirked and Harry shook his head good-naturedly.

The other things on the list were basically just parchments, files and other necessities.

Severus put a pouch in front Harry and the boy looked up.

"There are 100 pounds in there."

"100?" Harry asked in surprise. "For all this I will hardly need 40-50." He waved the list.

"Get what you want with the other money. Trivial things, sweets, although if I find sweets more than the normal human amount, I will throw them in the fireplace and make you watch them burn." Severus warned the boy. "Sebastian has a sweet tooth, do not let him carry you away."

"I am not a child." Harry grumbled.

"Hmm." Severus said and opened the Daily Prophet.

"Do you know when my results are due?" Harry asked him as he folded the list and shoved it in his pocket.

"Soon, I believe, I am not sure." Severus said and looked at the boy. "Nervous?"

"Pssht." Harry waved him off. "I know I did good."

"Of course you do." Severus' lips twitched.

"You wouldn't know my grades already, would you, _Professor_?" Harry narrowed his eyes.

"I am merely a parent when I step out of the school, Harry." Severus shrugged nonchalantly.

"You're not answering my question."

"I am."

"No, you are not."

"I am-"

"Alright, kids. Let's settle down." Sebastian said as he entered. "Let's go, Harry."

"Bundle up properly, Mr Potter." Severus said firmly.

Harry threw a glare at the man who just smirked before returning back to his news paper.

"And Sebastian?" Severus called from behind his paper.

"Yes?" Sebastian pokes his head in the dining room.

"If I find out that you showed him even the slightest bit of interior of any pub, I will kick your behind all the way to America." Severus said calmly.

Sebastian laughed at that but soon stopped after seeing Severus' emotionless face.

"See you later." He said awkwardly and went out.

"….and that's how I thought I was colour blind." Sebastian finished.

"So, are you?" Harry asked him.

"No I am not, I just _thought_ I was." The man said and Harry shook his head.

"So what's good in town?"

"There are good restaurants, book stores, there's a small convenience store run by a wizard couple, grocery shops, muggle cinema theatre, a small shopping mall, a gaming centre and great pubs which Severus has warned me to keep you away from." Sebastian bumped his shoulder.

"He's too protective." Harry said and kicked a pebble.

"Yes. He's never had anyone to protect before, except me. At Hogwarts he was always the big brother protecting the smaller one."

"It must have been fun, growing up with a sibling." Harry mused.

"Yes, it was. Although everything has its pros and cons."

"Of course."

They walked in silence, enjoying the view. The path was covered with trees on both the sides. Yesterday's snowfall had covered them like a blanket.

Soon, the noises of human intervention reached Harry's ears. The bells of café, moo's of cows, the frozen fields, they all made Harry feel alive. Sebastian tapped his wand once on Harry's head to make the boy look like a true Snape with sleek black hair, high cheekbones and pale complexion. They had decided that it was best of Harry wasn't revealed to the whole town.

"Welcome to Woods Town, Harry. Previously owned by Albert Woods, who died god knows when." Harry chuckled at Sebastian's humour.

"Wow, it's a busy town." Harry said as he watched people milling around the square, basking in the mild sunshine.

"Yeah, now that I think about it, the population never exceeded 400. What a dormant bunch." Sebastian muttered.

They got the things on Severus' list and even had tea in Sebastian's favourite café.

"Would you like Ice Cream for dessert tonight?" Sebastian asked.

"Sure."

They entered a pretty small Shop and Sebastian smiled at the lady managing it.

"Ahh Sebastian, how have you been?" She came out of the counter and hugged the man.

"I'm good, Bonnie, how are you?" He asked her.

"Old but gold." She replies and Sebastian chuckled.

"And who must this young man be?" Her grey eyes twinkled when she saw Harry.

"That's our distant cousin from London." Sebastian cleared his throat.

"Um..James Martin." Harry said and extended his hand in a greeting.

"James." Bonnie smiled. "I am Bonnie."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am." Harry said politely.

"Oh, definitely a Snape with all his mannerisms." She said and looked at Sebastian. "It would do you good to learn some."

"Oh please, I am as polite as wax." Sebastian said as Bonnie laughed and went behind the counter.

"You want me to get you your regular?" She asked him.

"Yes. Unless Harry here, would like something else." He looked at Harry who

shook his head.

"No, anything's fine."

"Visit again, Sebastian!" Bonnie called out to him when they were ready to leave with their parcel. "And bring that bat of your brother too."

"I will. Have a good day, Bonnie."

They stepped out and started walking again.

"She's a muggle?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Her father was a wizard, so she knows about us." Sebastian said. "Come, I'll show you the church. It must be decorated for New Years."

Sebastian showed Harry around the town and even took him to the sweets shop where Harry found out that Severus was right. Sebastian basically bought the whole shop and Harry chose limited sweets which he knew he could take with him to school.

They were walking down a quiet road when Harry suddenly stopped.

Sebastian stopped his jolly whistling and turned around.

"You alright?" He asked him.

"I don't know." Harry frowned. "I felt something…familiar."

Sebastian's face broke into a smile.

"Of course you did. Look to your right." Harry turned to his right and saw a beautiful field of flowers.

He gave Sebastian a questioning glance.

"Your mother's house stood here."

Harry's mouth hung open as he saw the huge field.

"Wh-where is it? The house?" He asked the man.

Sebastian's face turned dark.

"Two months after Lily was pregnant, Death Eaters attacked the town. You grandparents were…" Sebastian cleared his throat. "They were killed."

Harry felt a pang of sadness hit him like a bucket of ice.

"When your mother found out, she was devastated. Your Aunt blamed her and that was when she broke off all the ties with Lily. When Lily visited, she burned down the house and scattered the ashes all over the field. She then made this beautiful garden of Lilies and Daisies." Sebastian smiled. "The town folk are amazed at how the field always has flowers all year around."

Harry was still gazing at the far end of the field.

"I can feel her magic." Harry said and closed his eyes, relishing the touch.

Sebastian let him stand there for a few minutes before putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Come, it's almost time for lunch." Harry reluctantly followed.

His eyes fell on a small house beside the state where a girl, probably his age, was looking at both of them in a weird manner.

"Who's that?" Harry asked Sebastian.

"Oh that's the Wiltons' house. That's Harper." He said and waved at the girl who waved back.

"She's your age, maybe you guys can hang out sometimes."

"Yeah, maybe." Harry said and watched as Harper's hawk like eyes followed them.

"So who owns my mother's estate? Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked as they made their way back to the house.

"No. We do." Sebastian grinned at Harry's expression.

"What? Really?" Harry jumped.

"Yes. After everything happened, and Severus came back to the light side, we bought it. Your Aunt didn't even know that it belonged to her and when told about it, she graciously gave it to us at a fair price."

"But Aunt Petunia is a hogger when it comes to money and estate." Harry argued.

" _Maybe_ I would have let Severus have a word or two with her." Sebastian said with a smirk. "And when she learned Lily had put spells on the land, she didn't even want to come _near_ the town

"Where was I?" Harry asked.

"You were with Dumbledore for a few days before he sent you to the Dursley's." Sebastian said. "The worst decision on his part."

Harry didn't say anything and kept walking.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Sebastian said quietly.

"I know." Harry nodded. "You know about Dursley's, what else is there."

"It's not just the Dursley's. It's you as well, Harry." Harry looked at Sebastian in shock. "I know you blame yourself for your godfather's death." Sebastian looked the boy in his eyes. "It wasn't your fault."

Harry sniffed and looked away.

"Do you hear me, Harry? It wasn't your fault." Sebastian said firmly.

"Yes, I hear you."

"Good."

They walked home with Sebastian's hand firmly planted around Harry's shoulders.

When they reached home, Severus was sorting through the mail. He threw an envelope towards Harry who curiously looked at him.

"Results." He smirked at Harry's now pale features.

"Thank god we got Ice cream." Sebastian rejoined. "Open it, Harry."

"I-I'll open it in my room." Harry said and made to get up from the sofa but Severus stopped him.

"Nonsense. Open it here."

Harry glared at him before taking a deep breath and opened the envelope.

His eyes widened at his report.

 _Defence Against The Dark Arts – O_

 _Potions – O_

 _Transfigurations – EE_

 _Herbology – EE_

 _Charms – O_

 _History of Magic – EE_

"Well?" Sebastian demanded.

Harry handed him the report and looked at Severus who was smiling at him.

"You knew my marks!" Harry accused him but couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face.

"Of course I knew your marks." Severus smirked. "I am a Professor _and_ a father _and_ a Slytherin. I know how to use my position."

Harry chuckled at him.

"Harry, these marks are brilliant!" Sebastian exclaimed. "Drinks on me tonight!"

Harry and Severus rolled their eyes at him and got up.

"Oh come on! Harry can drink Butterbeer." He called after them as they walked out.

New Year was spent in a very relaxed manner. The trio went out into the town for dinner and watched the fireworks which Severus, for his part, hated.

"Unnecessary blasts of light and energy." He had called them.

They had returned home at almost 2 o clock in the morning. Harry learned that everyone knew the Snapes like some kind of royalty.

He even spoke with Harper who, Harry learned, was a witch and was in her sixth year in Ilvermory.

They had planned to meet again after New Year before Harry went back to Hogwarts.

With the start of New Year came Sebastian's leave.

"Do you really have to go?" Harry asked the man who was currently busy sticking a note on Severus' door which said:

' _Keep away, Vampire resting.'_

"I'm afraid so, Harry." Sebastian said as he pressed the paper on the door. "I dilly- dallied last time."

Harry nodded and bit his lip. Sebastian was like a regular part in his life now, even after just 15 days of his arrival.

"Why are you sticking that paper?" Harry frowned.

"I always do something like this before I leave." Sebastian grinned at his handiwork. A small comical vampire was growling in the corner of the paper.

"Why?"

Sebastian shrugged. "It's just something I do."

While Severus had gone to Hogwarts for a meeting with the Headmaster, Sebastian had taken this opportunity to show his creativity.

"You're weird." Harry shook his head.

They went down to the living room where Sebastian's suitcase was packed and kept neatly.

"I finally made things good with Lola, if you hadn't heard." Sebastian said as he stretched out on the armchair.

"I did. I heard you gave her a beautiful gem." Harry said.

"Yes."

They sat in comfortable silence.

"I'll miss you." Harry admitted.

"I'll miss you too, Harry." The man smiled at him.

"Do you always travel this much?" Harry asked.

"Yes. I take care of the business pretty much myself, and it requires me going around making deals." Sebastian shrugged. "Plus I like travelling. I stay at a place longer than I need to, just to get the local feel. And there's nothing I can do at home, Severus is at school, and there's no one else."

"That must be lonely."

"I have a few friends in town and some I work with. I compensate."

"You never visit Hogwarts?" Harry frowned.

"I do. Sometimes. At least 5-6 times a term. I meet with Albus, Severus, Minerva and other faculty."

"I never saw you." Harry said and Sebastian laughed.

"Of course you didn't. I travel by floo everywhere."

The floo whooshed and Severus stepped out.

"How's Albus?"

"Is his hand alright?"

Severus put up a hand to stop their questions and sat down.

"His hand hasn't been bothering him for the past few days, so we can say that the potion is working."

Harry sighed in relief and Sebastian grinned.

"He is a little weak, but that is expected with his age and the dose of potion." Severus explained.

His eyes fell on Sebastian's suitcase and he looked up.

"You're ready, then?" He asked him.

"Yep."

"Where are you going?" Harry asked him.

"London, currently." Sebastian said and stood up, Harry and Severus following suit.

"When will we see you next?" Severus asked him.

"Next month, most probably. I'll come to Hogwarts." Sebastian said and looked at Harry.

Harry smiled at him and went over to hug the man.

"You take care of yourself and Severus, Harry." Sebastian whispered in his ear.

"I will."

They pulled apart and Sebastian went over to Severus.

The brothers looked at each other for a second before embracing.

"I hope to see you soon." Sebastian said.

"You will. Take care, remember what we talked about yesterday." Sebastian nodded his head and pulled away.

"Well, then." He picked up his suitcase and walked into the fireplace. "See you later, alligator."

Severus was about to comment something but with a whoosh of the fire, Sebastian was gone.

Harry stayed at the empty grate for a minuted before turning and looking at Severus.

"Feels empty, doesn't it?" The man asked.

Harry nodded.

"I'll be in my room." He said and went upstairs.

"I'll call you down for dinner."

Severus went to his study and sat down in his chair.

He went through his and Sebastian's talk yesterday night, when Harry was asleep.

 _Flashback_

 _Severus was sitting in the library with his legs crossed in front of him and his nose in a book when Sebastian fell down in the armchair in front of him._

 _Severus raised his eyes from the book and propped up an eyebrow._

" _Harry's asleep?" He asked him._

" _Yes, just went to bed." Sebastian nodded._

 _Severus sighed and kept his book aside._

" _What's wrong?"_

 _Sebastian looked at him for a second before answering._

" _I am leaving tomorrow."_

 _Severus nodded slowly. "I know."_

" _I feel like we actually have something akin to a family now, Severus." Sebastian leaned forward. "After Dad died, we met each other for what, 5 times a year? For a few days?"_

 _Severus nodded._

" _But now, it's like I don't want to leave. I want to stay and I want to be with you and Harry and…" He trailed off._

" _Sebastian, I know." Severus looked in his brother's eyes._

" _Severus, I am tired." Sebastian's eyes glistened in the light of the lamp and the warm glow of the fire. "I want to settle down, Sev."_

 _Severus took a deep breath._

" _You finally managed to procure enough brains to come to that conclusion?" He said._

" _I am sorry I didn't listen to you earlier. I know that 5 years ago when you told me that this roaming around was not my thing, I should have listened to you." Severus leaned forward and looked him in the face._

" _I told you so." He said with great satisfaction._

 _Sebastian rolled his eyes._

" _What are you planning to do then?" Severus asked him._

" _I was thinking of letting the business run as it is. No more deals, no more establishments."_

" _I am fine with it." Severus nodded. "But I was talking about_ you _, Sebastian."_

" _I don't know." Sebastian rubbed his face with his hand. "I can look over on everything from here."_

" _Alone in this whole house?" Severus asked._

" _What else is there?!" Sebastian said irritably. "Plus, if I stay here, I might be able to visit you and Harry at Hogwarts more frequently."_

" _Every week." Severus demanded firmly._

" _Yes."_

" _When?" Severus asked him after a while._

" _Not for a while. I need to sort out some things. Maybe a month or two." The younger brother shrugged._

" _Sebastian, you know I will support you no matter what." Severus gave his word._

" _I know." Sebastian smiled. "Take care of Harry, will you?"_

 _Severus snorted."As if I need you to tell me that."_

" _He's a good kid."_

" _He is." Severus nodded. "I wasted 5 years thinking that he was just like his father, but he is not."_

" _Did he…try to harm himself in the holidays?"_

 _Sebastian asked slowly._

" _No. I've put up wards around the house and the grounds too. I will be alerted if he is in any kind of distress and tries to harm himself."_

 _Sebastian nodded approvingly and stood up._

" _You will take care of yourself, won't you Seb? With the Death Eaters active all around, I fear for your safety." Severus admitted softly. "Don't do something I won't."_

" _You took the mark, so I don't know how much of that I can rely on…." Sebastian shrugged and smirked at Severus' glare._

" _Don't make me worry about you."_

" _You're always worried about me."_

" _Not willingly." Sebastian chuckled at his response._

" _I'll be fine, Sev." He said. "Take care of yourself."_

" _Will do." Severus stood up too. "I'm going to miss you." He said and pulled the younger man in a tight embrace._

" _I love you, Sev." Sebastian mumbled._

" _Hmm. Shut up and get out." Severus said and patted his back once before pulling apart._

 _Sebastian grinned at him before literally skipping out of the library, the unspoken words etched into his head._

 _Flashback End_

Severus sighed as he took out his new term's lesson plans. Sleep will not come to him till early in the morning, he knew.

It never did when his brother left.

Maybe he can spend his time searching for a joke his brother must have definitely left behind for him.


	14. People Change

**Chapter 14: People Change**

Severus curled up his lip and his glare intensified.

"It has to have a trick." Harry offered from behind him.

"It's been there for 2 days and I have tried every possible counter curse." Severus said exasperatedly.

Harry snickered at his expression.

When Harry had stepped out of his room that morning he had come across the most hilarious sight. Severus had his shirt rolled up to his elbows and was wearing yellow muggle rubber gloves while scrubbing the door to his room.

Even after million tries, Sebastian's note, which aggravated Severus more and more every day, stood proudly on the sturdy oak door.

Severus stood with his arms crossed on his chest and a look of concentration on his face as Harry gave his inputs.

"Maybe try the counter curse for child sticking charm." He suggested a he clasped his watch around his wrist.

"Hmm. Interesting idea." Severus' eyes fell on Harry and he raised an eyebrow at the immaculate dress pants and shirt Harry was wearing.

"Feeling fashionable, are we?" He asked him.

"I'm going in town to meet Harper, I told you yesterday." Harry said, not meeting Severus' eyes.

"Need I remind you that your…teenage desires should be contained under-"

Harry put his fingers in his ears and started to sing a song in a loud voice to drown Severus'.

"Brat." Severus shook his head as he watched him go down the stairs before turning his attention back to the problem of the sticking charm. "Damn it Sebastian, wait till I see you next." He sighed and tried another counter curse.

/

Harry walked to the town in the cold morning. The trees rustled with mirth as the wind blew and his coat flapped against his legs. His appearance was transformed again and his black hair flew wildly in the wind.

During New Year's, Harry and Harper and got to talking. He didn't know much about her except that she hailed from America and was quite interested in knowing her. He wanted to meet her as ' _Harry'_ but he knew his safety could be compromised.

They had decided to meet today, before both of them went off to school, and get to know each other as they were the only witch and wizard still attending school in Wood's Town.

The small bell tinkled as Harry entered Raymond's café and bar. He spotted Harper sitting in a booth in a corner, looking out the window.

"Hey." He said.

Harper's warm brown eyes connect with his and she smiled at him.

"Hey, James. Good morning." She said.

"Did you order?"

"Yeah, two cups of coffee. Black, 2 spoons of sugar." She grinned at him.

"You know me too well." Harry said as he hung his coat on the back of his chair and sat down.

"It's hard to find someone your age in this town." Harper said.

"I thought you had a lot of friends." Harry frowned. He remembered seeing her with a bunch of kids on New Year's.

"They are kids from the public school. I don't usually hang out with them." Harper shook her head. "I prefer the company of magical folks over no-majs." Harry nodded in agreement.

"So, when do your holidays end?" Harry asked her as their drinks arrived.

"I'm going back on 5th. That is the day after tomorrow. What about you?"

"Same." Harry nodded. He had never thought of other magical schools than Hogwarts, and it always lingered in the back of his mind.

"So, how does Ilvermorny work? Are you sorted into houses there too?" Harry asked with a baffled expression and Harper chuckled.

"Of course." She then proceeded to tell him all about her school and how she was sorted in Horned Serpent.

"Horned Serpent. Sounds like Slytherin." Harry said.

"Taking in consideration that your mother was a Snape, you must be in Slytherin." Harper said.

"Um…yes. I am in…Slytherin." _Kill me now._ Harry forced out a smile.

"I know all about Hogwarts." Harper said with a dreamy look. "I wanted to study there."

"Really?" Harry asked her in surprise.

"Yeah. My dad's an American, and my mom was English. They settled in America and after my mom died when I was 7, my dad decided to shift here, back in mom's hometown with me and my brother." She said.

"You have a brother?"

"Yes, he's 12. His name is Charles." She took a sip from her cup. "Anyways, after we shifted to Britain, I thought I would attend Hogwarts, but my name was already registered in Ilvermorny since birth." She shrugged. "Enough about me. Tell me about you."

Harry blinked for a second. She didn't know he was Harry Potter. She wanted to know James Martin. A genuine smile lit up Harry's face.

"Well, for starters, I love Quidditch." Harry said.

"Are you in your House's team?" She asked him.

"Yes, I am a seeker." Harry shrugged. _Not a whole lie._

"I am a chaser." Harper grinned at him.

They talked about Quidditch for a while before shifting back to themselves. Harry understood that Harper was born and brought up in New York.

"I always wanted to visit America." He said as they drank their fourth cup of coffee.

"I'll take you someday. I will show you all around the country without any fees." She promised him and Harry chuckled.

"So, what do you like more, Britain or America?" Harper gasped at him.

"James! That's the worst question to ask!" She said and swatted his arm as he laughed.

The duo sat there for an hour before Harper had to go home. Harry asked for the check and after a lot of arguing regarding who will pay, they both split the amount.

"I'll walk you to your house." Harry said. He couldn't help but feel that this was a date more than a friendly meet.

They walked with Harper explaining to Harry all about the town and its people. She told him how old Mrs Troy loved to steal an extra muffin from the baker, and how Bonnie always gave her extra ice cream when she visited. She also told him about the town's landmarks and its history. Harry knew everything that she told him from Sebastian, but he didn't have the heart to stop her from talking. So, he listened quietly and enjoyed her voice.

Finally, they reached her house and stopped near the front gate.

"I had a great time, James." She smiled at him.

"Me too." Harry replied honestly.

"You know, I don't like your name." She said. Harry frowned at her.

"Why?"

"It's…it's not you." Harper said oddly. "James sounds very…big and old, for you."

"Oh yeah?" Harry asked her softly, astonished at her words. "What do you think my name should be?"

Harper tapped her chin. "Let's see…" She squinted her eyes at him for a few seconds before smiling broadly. "You're more of…Edmund."

"Edmund?" Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah. It's a traditional English name meaning ' _protector'_." She said.

Harry gave a small chuckle.

' _Of course.'_

"Alright, well, I guess I'll see you in summer." She said.

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

"Bye, James." She kissed leaned over and kissed his cheek before turning and walking towards the door of her house.

"Harper!" Harry called out. She pivoted and looked at him questioningly. "If it helps, you can call me Harry."

She laughed at him lightly before giving him a small wave. Harry smiled lifted his own hand and watched her disappear in the house.

He sighed before making his way back to the house. He loved talking to Harper. She made him feel like a normal guy instead of _Harry Potter: The Saviour._ And it was rare for him to feel like a normal guy.

He reached home to find Severus lounging in the living room, drinking a cup of tea.

"Hey." Harry said and fell down in the armchair opposite to the man.

"Had a good date?" Severus smirked at the blush that creeped up Harry's cheekbones.

"It wasn't a date! It was a friendly meet." He said with a pathetic attempt to keep the smile off his face.

"Well the lipstick mark on your face tells me otherwise." Severus said and stifled his chuckles as he watched Harry try to rub it off.

"A _friendly_ goodbye kiss." Harry said and changed his appearance back to normal.

"Of course." Severus said. "Albus called while you were out."

Harry furrowed his brows. "What did he say?"

"He wanted to speak with you about the Horcruxes as soon as the school opens on the 5th."

Harry nodded his head distractedly. Even in holidays, the thoughts of Horcruxes and Voldemort hadn't left his mind, they always lingered at the back.

"You weren't summoned during the holidays." Harry observed.

Severus snorted. "Oh, yes. How considerate of the Dark Lord."

Severus watched as Harry stared into the grate, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. He didn't want the boy to take all of the burden on himself. During Christmas, he had witnessed Harry's other side. The carefree, laughing side.

In a fluid motion, Severus uncrossed his legs and stood up from his armchair. He extended a hand towards Harry and the boy looked up.

"Care to join me in making Wolfsbane for our dear old Lupin, Mr Potter?" Harry smiled a little before nodding and taking the hand to stand up.

" _Dear old Lupin_? That sounded genuine."

"Shut up, Potter." Harry grinned as a calloused hand smacked his head.

/

"Did you take everything?"

"Yes."

"Books and assignments?"

"Yes."

"Your coat?"

"Yes."

"Your wand?"

"Ye- How can I forget my wand?" Harry gave Severus an annoyed look but checked his holster.

"With you there is no telling. You might write a 10 feet essay on how to leave your wand on the bedside table when the world's darkest wizard is after your blood." Harry rolled his eyes as Severus referred to an incident that happened before Christmas when he had forgotten his wand on his bedside table and had gone meandering on the grounds. He had sat through Severus' half an hour lecture on safety before profusely apologising for the tenth time.

"And are you sure you want to ride the Hogwarts Express with the others?" Severus asked dubiously.

"Yes." Harry replied as he hauled his trunk in front of the fireplace.

"Very well then." Severus shrunk their belongings, just a small briefcase in Severus' case. The older wizard glanced at the clock. "It's fifteen to 11. I will take your belongings with me to Hogwarts." Harry nodded his head.

The duo walked towards the gate of the house and Severus waved his wands in intricate patterns to lock the wards.

Harry felt a pang of sadness hit him as he looked at the house. He would miss it, the cold mornings in the patio, the late nights in the living room, the lazy afternoons on the grounds and the weekends in town.

"Come." Severus said and put a hand around Harry's shoulders. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Harry whispered. And with a small pop, they disappeared.

/

Severus apparated them a little away from the station.

"I will apparate back to the castle." He said and put a heavy hand on Harry's shoulder. "Remember, if anyone asks where you were-"

"I was with the Dursley's and Dumbledore himself escorted me there." Harry parroted. Severus had literally engraved it in his head.

"Good." He patted Harry cheek. "I will see you at the feast."

"Yeah." Severus gave Harry a small rare smile before disapparating. Harry stared at the spot for few seconds before making his way to platform 9 ¾.

He found Ron and Hermione in a compartment at the end of the train.

"Harry!" Hermione squealed and flung herself in his arms.

"Hey Herms." Harry grinned and hugged her back before giving Ron a high five.

"Thanks for the gifts." He said and settled himself near the window.

"Thank you for that book, Harry." Hermione said and launched in a tale of how she completed the book Harry had gifted her, in two days. Ron rolled his eyes while looking at Harry.

"Bloody hell." He whispered and Harry stifled his laughter.

The train ride passed with all three of them sharing their holidays with each other. Harry told them about Sebastian and the other two Gryffindors couldn't seem to find it real for Snape to have a brother. He also told them about Alan's Brewery and Ron literally blanched.

"Snape's rich as hell!" He commented as the train stopped at the Hogsmead Station.

"Well, I already had my doubts." Hermione said.  
"Doubts? What doubts?" Harry looked at her.

"I read it a book a while ago, that Alan's Brewery was started by Alan Snape in 1951. I thought he might be a relative of Professor Snape." She said as they boarded a carriage.

"That would have been Severus' father." Harry said with an approving nod.

"Who cares? You're rich." Ron grinned at him and slapped his knee. "When are we partying?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him and Harry shrugged.  
"Really, boys." She shook her head.

The trio was soon seated in the Great Hall with a huge feast in front of the. Harry waved at Remus and the man waved back with double enthusiasm.

"You still haven't told him, have you?" Ron asked him seriously.

"No." Harry said and picked at his meal.  
"Are you afraid he's going to not like it?" Hermione asked him.

"Yes." Harry put down his fork. "I mean, he looks like he's all fine with Severus, but then, I don't know what he would say if I told him that his best friend's son was adopted by his best friend's childhood nemesis."

"I think he will be mature about it." Hermione said.

"Yeah mate, Snape makes him Wolfsbane, and that guy downs it without sniffing." Ron nodded his head. "I'd say that's trust."

"How is it that you say the most ridiculous things and they still come to a point that makes sense?" Hermione asked him.

"Do I hear a note of pride?" Ron grinned like a silly monkey as Hermione fought very hard to not smile.

Harry looked at them with a smile.

His eyes fell on Ginny who waved at him. Harry acknowledged her with a nod before scanning the Hall.

Severus raised his eyebrow when Harry winked at him. Then Harry's eyes then fell on Draco Malfoy who was as usual surrounded by his goons. The blonde looked paler than ever, Harry noticed. His hair and clothes were impeccable as always, but there was this aura around the boy which screamed that there was something wrong.

Draco caught Harry's eyes and for a moment the green and grey stared at each other before Draco averted his gaze to somewhere else. Harry frowned at the gesture.

"Have you noticed that something's going on with Malfoy?" Harry asked his friends.  
"He probably joined his father's _support group_ and couldn't handle it." Ron sneered.

"Why do you think something's wrong with him?" Hermione asked.

"Look at him, he looks downright miserable, sitting at the table." Harry commented and hissed at Ron immediately swivelled his head in the most obvious manner and looked at the Slytherin.

"Eh, he looks fine to me." Ron shrugged and went back to his meal.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. It's not our ship to sail." Harry nodded distractedly at the girl.

After dinner, he told them that he was again 'going down' and would join them in a while.

When Harry went inside the quarters he noticed that the man was not there yet. So, he decided to check his classroom and office. He door to his classroom was open, and Harry wandered inside. He could see the light shining from beneath the door to office and without knocking, he went inside.

His eyes widened when he saw Draco Malfoy sitting on one of the chairs while Snape was half perched on the table beside him.

Snape's head snapped towards him and Harry opened his mouth to speak.

"It's a courtesy to knock, Potter." After so many days to talking with ' _Severus'_ , the harsh tone of ' _Snape'_ really hurt Harry, but he knew it was an act and played along.

"S-sorry, sir." Harry said and cleared his throat. "I-I…"

"What did you want, Potter?" Draco was listlessly looking around at something on the table.

"N-never mind, I'll come tomorrow." Harry said and was about to close the door to the office when he heard Severus' voice in his head.

' _Wait in our quarters.'_

Harry coughed to show that he understood and quickly darted out of the classroom and into their quarters.

He didn't have to wait too long before the door opened and Severus entered.

"I'm really really sorry!" Harry said quickly. "I didn't think he would be there."

Severus took a seat on the armchair before sighing.

"It's alright, Harry." He said. "We will have to establish some kind of time period so that you don't run into Slytherins in my office."

Harry nodded. "How did you do that thing where you spoke in my mind?" He asked.

Severus smirked.

"I thought you would be interested." He said. "When I taught you occlumency, I created a bond between your mind and mine. It basically makes it easier for me to read your thoughts and break through your barrier with very little power. I purposely did not reveal this to you, because I wanted you to Master the art to the best of your abilities, which you did."

Harry was looking at him with wide eyes.

"So you can hear what I am thinking right now?" He asked.

"No." Severus chuckled. "But I manipulated the bond so that if I concentrate enough, I can get my message in your head."

"Like a patronus." Harry said in understanding.

"Yes, but this has distance limitations." Severus explained."You need to be in my sight for this to work."

"Can _I_ do it?" Harry asked warily.

"Why don't you try?" Severus was curious as well. The last time he had made such a bond was with Dumbledore when the old man had taught him occlumency. Dumbledore had told him that it needs immense magical power and extreme trust for such a bond to work both ways.

"What do I need to do?" Harry asked and sat up straight.

"Occlude and think of entering my mind to give me your message." Severus said.

Harry took a deep breath and looked at Severus. His eyes strained in concentration as he made his magic go from his head into Severus'.

Severus watched with him with an inquisitive look, trying to predict the outcome when-

' _Hello, Dad.'_

Severus' eyes betrayed his shock and his mouth hung open as he looked at a smiling Harry sitting next to him.

 _Dad…_

Severus had been waiting for Harry to call him Dad for a while now, but he had given the boy space to get comfortable around him.

Harry bit his lip, waiting for a reaction.

He watched as Severus quickly took a shaky breath and gave the most genuine and fatherly smile Harry had ever seen.

"Hello, son."

Harry grinned at him.

"I did it." He said and chuckled.

"Yes, you did." Severus leaned forward and ruffled the boy's hair.

"You don't mind me calling you…dad, do you?" Harry asked dubiously.

"Of course not, Harry. I'm honored that you decided to give me the title of your father."

"I've been thinking about it for a while, but I didn't know how you would feel." Harry shrugged.

"As I said, I am honored." With the snap of his fingers, two cups of tea appeared in front of them.

"Did you speak with Albus?" Severus asked as he picked up his cup.

"No. He called me down in the morning." Harry shook his head.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh yes." Harry put down in cup and gave Severus a serious look. "What's up with Malfoy?"

Severus frowned at him.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." Harry said. "He's been acting weird all year."

"Weird?"

"He hasn't tried to kill me yet, so yeah, that's weird for me." Harry said. "Plus he looks…dejected and miserable all the time."

"Why do you care so much about it, Harry?" Severus ran a hand over his face.

"Because I think he went over the fence and has joined hands with Voldemort!" Harry cried.

"You don't know half of it." Severus shook his head calmly.

"Then tell me." Harry said pointedly.

Severus gave his 50th sigh of the evening and leaned back.

"I suppose…there won't be any harm in telling you."

Harry gave him his full attention.

"As you said, Draco _has_ joined hands with the Dark Lord." Harry's eye twitched at the name. "But not willingly."

"No willingly?"

"His father forced him." Severus said.

"And he couldn't refuse?"

"Pureblooded families are not all unicorns and rainbows, Harry. The children are under immense pressure to follow their parents' footsteps." Severus said. "Anyways, after taking the dark mark, Draco came to me in the summer. He's been trying to find a way out."

"You mean to say, that he wants to become a spy?" Harry said as if it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

"He intentionally wanted to stay neutral in the war. But yes, due to circumstances, he has to choose what is available."

"You can't trust him."

"Yes, we can."

"Does Dumbledore know?"

"Yes, he does."

"And what did he have to say about it?"

"Contrary to popular belief, Albus does care for Slytherins, however rarely he might show it." Severus said defensively.

"So he allowed him to be a spy?" Harry fired.

"He's a child, Harry, just like you. Dumbledore agreed to protect him." Severus said.

Harry thought for a second.

"I never thought Malfoy of all people would come over to the light side." He said finally.

"Yes, well, people change."

"Yes they do, don't they?" Harry stared in the fire. He caught Severus staring at him.

"What?"

"Now that everything is clear, I have some expectations." Severus started. "I expect you to lay off of him for a while."

"I don't do anything to him!" Harry said, quite offended by the statement. "He's the one who usually tortures me."

"I know." Severus said. "Try to keep it civil between you two. He might not be in his best state of mind, try to keep your calm."

"Yes, okay." Harry said half-heartedly.

"And try not to let this spread around the school."

"You can trust me."

"I know. Why do you think I told you?"

Harry gave him a lopsided smile before standing up. "Well, I should leave."

"You're welcome to stay." Severus said as he watched Harry walk towards the floo.

"Nah. It's the first night back." Harry shrugged. "Good night, Dad."

"Good night, Harry." Severus said as the boy disappeared in the flames.

He summoned a parchment and a quill and dipped it into the ink pot beside him before starting his letter.

 _Dear Sebastian,_

 _You have no idea how happy I am today._

 _Harry called me 'Dad'…._

The fire burned in the grate as the Potions Master wrote each and everything that had happened that day in the letter to his brother.


	15. Power

**Chapter 15 : Hardships**

Harry huffed as the gargoyle growled at him for the 7th time.

"Can you just open up?" He asked exasperatedly. He had been standing there for the past 10 minutes, trying to get the blasted thing to open so that he can go and meet Dumbledore. But-

"Password." It said smugly.

"Berry Blasts!"

"Wrong. Try again." Harry swore that he saw a condescending look on the gargoyle's face.

"I-" The gargoyle suddenly moved and Dumbledore himself stepped out.

"Harry, my boy! How are you?" He asked cheerfully. Harry observed that his hand glove was still kept on.

"I'm fine, sir. How are you?" He asked, glancing at the man's cursed hand.

"I'm good, Harry. An old man such as myself has many weaknesses." He smiled at Harry. "Come, let's take a walk while we talk."

Harry gave him a skeptical look before allowing himself to be steered towards the Entrance Hall and out of the doors of Hogwarts.

"Did you change the password, sir?" Harry asked as he rubbed his hands in the cold air.

"Yes, I apologise for not informing you." Albus said as he looked at the scenery with a smile on his face.

"How-how is your hand, sir?"

"The potion is working." Albus said. "My magic is a little drained, but I can feel it working." He put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I wanted to thank you, Harry. You and Severus saved my life."

"It's quite less from what you have done for us, sir." Harry said quietly.

Albus waved away his words. The students who were basking in the weak sun, gave them peculiar looks but didn't comment.

"Harry, I want your help." Albus said suddenly.

"Of course, anything."

"I have located the remaining Horcruxes." Albus said. Harry gave a surprised look. "I need you to destroy them. I have spoken with Severus, and he refuses to let you go alone or with your friends."

"Well, a surprise there isn't it?" Harry snorted. He had already figured that out.

Albus gave a small laugh before continuing.

"I have informed him of all the locations, but I am afraid I do not know about the traps that lay in your journey." Albus said and put a stop to their walk. Harry noticed that they were in a small clearing behind Hagrid's hut, a little in the forest where no one can see them. "To protect your from them, I wish to give you a gift, Harry."

Harry looked at the man with a puzzled expression as Albus moved a little away from him and stood in front of him.

"A gift?" Harry asked.

"Take out your wand." Albus commanded as he took out his own wand. Harry, albeit reluctantly, took out his wand from the holster Sebastian had gifted him.

"Disarm me, Harry."

"What?" Harry asked. What was the old man getting at?

"Disarm me."

Realisation struck Harry and he pocketed his wand and shook his head.

"No." He said. "I won't disarm you."

Severus had told him about how Dumbledore had come in possession of Elder Wand when Harry was quite bored on a snowy day during Christmas Holidays.

"Harry, you have to." Albus said forcefully.

"NO!" Harry yelled.

"You might meet Voldemort on your way."

"So what? _Elder wand_ will save me?" Harry asked as if Dumbledore was out of his mind. "It won't. It will help _you,_ Professor _._ I am perfectly satisfied with my wand." He made to leave but Albus' voice stopped him.

"You have brother wands, Harry." The boy didn't turn. "Your wand cannot destroy its brother and hence shall _not_ destroy Voldemort." Albus sighed. "I _need_ you to take my wand, Harry. Please."

This time, Harry did turn back.

"It feels wrong." He said softly.

"It doesn't matter. The Elder Wand belongs to you. It always did." Albus said, desperately trying to the boy to agree.

"What do you mean?" Harry frowned.

"The Peverell Brothers, you are related to them from your father's side. Antioch's Elder Wand descends to you." Albus explained. "Take what is yours, Harry."

Harry flexed his jaw as he tried to made sense of the happenings.

"What will happen to my wand?" He asked with the possessiveness of a 5 years old child with his toy.

"It's still yours."

"And what about you?"

"I have others." Albus shrugged.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed deeply before taking out his wand again.

Albus smiled at him and stood casually with his hands at his sides, the Elder Wand gripped loosely In his right palm.

"I don't want to do it." Harry said softly.

"In war, sometimes we have to do things that go against our heart, Harry. In a war, sacrifices are must." Albus said.

Harry gave the man one last look before taking his stance. The wind blowed his hair and a deafening silence had taken over the atmosphere. Not even birds dared to chirp.

"Expelliarmus." Harry said softly, all the while looking into the grandfatherly blue eyes. The spell zoomed in the air and hit Albus' hand, making the Elder Wand fly towards Harry. The young boy caught it and instantly felt the power surge through his body. A warm feeling filled his stomach and he closed his eyes to pass the mysterious dizziness that suddenly took over him.

He opened his eyes and saw Dumbledore standing directly in front of him, giving him a concerned look.

"I'm fine." Harry mumbled and put new wand in his holster while stuffing his older one in his pocket.

"You can defeat him now." Albus' eyes twinkled with victory already.

"I will try my best, sir." Harry nodded.

They walked out of the forest and on the path to the castle.

"Where's Hagrid, Professor? With the giants again?" Harry asked.

"Ah yes." The old man didn't divulge into the details and Harry took the hint and kept quiet for the rest of the walk to the Gargoyle.

"Sir." Harry called Albus as the man gave the password. The old man looked at him.

"You're fine, aren't you?" Harry's voice cracked a little.

"I'm not going anywhere for at least a 100 years, Harry." Albus smiled at him.

"Unless of course the sugar intake…"

"Withers your organs." Harry completed with a grin.

"I see Severus has been talking about me." Albus said pleasantly before moving forward and cupping Harry's head.

"You will find yourself in quite some fixes, Harry, but never lose hope." He said seriously and patted the boy's head. "You have the love of the most trustable man by your side and half the world's support with you."

Harry just nodded and watched as Dumbledore then stepped on the gargoyle and disappeared from view.

Harry walked back to the dungeons, not wanting to go to the Common Room where everyone was talking about the upcoming quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Harry had scheduled a practice tomorrow, but his heart wasn't into quidditch after everything that was happening around.

He tried to avoid the Slytherin students who were milling about in the corridors, and took the less travelled paths.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw someone following him. He kept his gaze forward so as to not intimate the person of his revelation.

Harry couldn't go into the quarters with the person following him, so he took a sudden right and went into the washroom. He stood beside the sink, facing the door with his old wand out.

The door slowly opens and Draco Malfoy stepped in. They looked at each other and Harry could tell that the Blonde was mentally striking himself for showing himself. The door closed with a thud and silence reigned over them.

"Malfoy." Harry said neutrally, his wand still in hand but not posed anymore.

"Potter." He said as he came and stood in front of Harry.

"Following a person in shadows is often considered cowardly."

Draco shrugged. "It's also considered cunning, but I botched that up."

Harry didn't give him any expression as he waited for more explanation.

"I have seen you making alarmingly too many trips to the dungeons. What is up with you and Severus?" He asked, his grey eyes were cold but Harry knew that it was all a sham.

"What is it to you?" Harry said and put his wand back in his holster. Draco's sharp eyes caught the movement and his lips thinned as he recognised the dragon hide holster Sebastian had got him. Apparently, it was some kind of signature gift as Malfoy instantly recognised it.

"You know Sebastian." He said in a whisper.

"I don't have time to wait for your deductions, Malfoy." Harry said and made to go around the blonde and out of the washroom. But Draco was faster than him, he put a force on Harry's chest and pushed him towards the sink.

Harry winced as the porcelain hit his side sharply.

He remembered Severus' words and kept calm.

"What's going on, Potter?" Draco snarled. "Why do you want Severus and Sebastian? Go play son to your Order members, don't take what is not yours."

"From what I have heard, Order and you will soon be fast friends." Harry smirked. Draco lunged at him and boxed his jaw before Harry could even react.

Harry still didn't do anything. He just groaned and leaned against the wall, put a tentative hand up to his lips to wipe off the blood.

"Are you quite done?" He asked in a bored voice.

Draco gave him one more look before turning around.

"He took you in, didn't he? Severus?" He asked in a small voice. He could see Draco's shoulders heaving heavily.

Harry pushed himself away from his spot and sighed.

"Yes." He said, not giving any more information.

Draco turned around and Harry saw the raw pain which was filled in his grey eyes.

"I am sorry, Potter." He said and without another word, went out of the washroom. Harry stared at the door which was slowly closing, trying to make sense of the million things that were going around in his head.

He washed his bloodied face and tenderly touched his side, knowing that he would have to ask a very panicked Severus for a potion.

He was right. As soon as he entered the quarters, He saw Severus sitting on the settee with his legs stretched out to the full length of the settee. His hair was obscuring his face as he read a book on his lap.

He looked up as soon as the door opened, and after one look at the boy, he closed his book and stood up in what Harry could only call as superhuman speed. With long strides he reached Harry and took his face in his hands.

"Hey Dad." Harry said and smiled with half his mouth.

"What the hell happened?" Severus asked as he manoeuvred Harry over to the couch and made him sit. He didn't miss the winch as the boy sat down.

"Malfoy." Harry said.

"I told you not to…" Severus started as he kneeled down on one knee and ran his wand over Harry.

"I didn't!" Harry interrupted him. "He followed me into the loo and started asking me why I was stealing you and Uncle Sebastian from him. Ow!" Harry hissed as Severus' hands touched his jaw.

"Did you reciprocate?"

"No. You told me not to." Harry said.

"Good that you were listening."

"I'm always listening." Severus snorted at the whine.

"Move your hand." He commanded and gently lifted Harry's shirt and tsked at the big purple bruise that was building up.

"Stay." He ordered and went into his room.

"Woof." Harry said softly and rolled his eyes.

Severus returned with two potion vials and one salve.

"Tell me I don't have to drink any of those potions." Harry said uselessly.

"You are the son of a Potions Master." Severus said as if those 7 words explain everything.

He uncorked and handed a blue vial to Harry.

"Pain reliever?" Harry guessed.

"Yes."

Severus then proceeded to put the salve on the bruise on his side and the other potion was applied to his jaw.

Harry sighed in relief as the pain ebbed away.

"It will be sore for a while, but one more application and your side will be as good as new." Severus said while straightening Harry's shirt.

"Thank you."

Severus banished the vials back to his room and stood up with his hands crossed over his chest.

"I will have a talk with Mr Malfoy."

"He was in so much pain." Harry said and stared at a small wrinkle on Snape's shirt.

"That does not make attacking a student acceptable." Severus argued.

"I know. But I guess you should give him a little space." Harry said.

"You called him an irritable twit not two days ago."

Harry gave him a sheepish smile and stood up.

"I know." He said and starting walking towards his room.

"What did you think of your visit with the Headmaster?" Severus called out.

"I disarmed the world's greatest wizard and have the world's strongest wand in my possession. I think I _loved_ it." Harry yelled and Severus heard the door shut.

He smiled to himself and regained his seat at the settee.

/

"We need to talk." Harry said as he put down his cutlery after breakfast. Severus indulged him by bending the corner of the Daily prophet and looking at him.

"I'm listening."

"About the Horcruxes." Harry sat up straight and Severus lowered his paper. "Do we take someone with us?"

"No." Severus shook his head. "No need for more people. It will seek attention."

Harry nodded his head.

"When do we leave?"

"After you sort this out." Severus said and threw a letter at Harry before disappearing behind the paper again.

Harry opened the parchment and winced at Remus' handwriting.

 _Harry,_

 _I am leaving for an Order task this evening. I would like to speak with you regarding something._

 _Let's have lunch in my quarters._

 _Moony_

"Shit." Harry said.

"Indeed."

"I held it off too long, didn't I?" Harry but his lip.

"I am no one to say. I won't mind if you don't tell him, it's our life, our choice." Severus said as he turned a page. He had still not forgotten the conversation between him and Lupin at the start of the term.

Harry nodded at the front page of the Daily Prophet and stood up.

"I will tell him. Today."

He saw Severus shrug and quietly went out, contemplating his words.

/

After hours of encouragement from his friends, Harry finally made his way towards Remus' quarters.

He tried to form his speech as he walked.

' _Hey Remus! Guess what? Snape adopted me!'_

Harry shook his head.

 _Quite subtle, you idiot!_

' _Hey Remus! I wanted to tell you something. Snape adopted me. It's been 3 months.'_

Harry groaned. There was no right way to say it.

With a feeling that he was about to be executed, Harry knocked on Remus' door.

The door swung open and Remus greeted him with a warm smile.

"Hey Remus." Harry returned the smile.

"Hey Harry, come on in."

Remus' quarters were quite opposite to Snape's. There was sunlight streaming in from the window in the kitchen, and yet there was a chill in the air that made Harry shudder.

Harry sat down on the table in the kitchen and Remus prepared them some coffee.

Harry's heart beat a thousand beats per minute as he watched the man rummage around for the cups.

"So, where are you going for the task?" Harry asked and thanked the man when he set down his cup.

"I can't reveal those details to anyone." Remus shook his head. "Only Albus and Severus knows them."

"Se-Snape knows?" Harry said as he sipped his coffee.

"Yes." Remus shuffled in his seat and looked at Harry. "Is there something you would like to tell me, Harry?"

Harry gulped his scalding liquid.

"Snape adopted me." He blurted out and waited for the explosion.

Remus nodded his head slowly with a blank face.

"I had a feeling." He said after a minute.

"Rem-"

"No, Harry. It's alright." Remus put up a hand to stop him.

"I am sorry."

Remus looked at him sharply.

"What for?"

"I-I.." Harry shrugged.

"Stop apologising, Harry. Severus is a good man, a changed man. I bear no hostility against him. We were wrong to terrorise him when we were young, but we have gone through that."

"Yes but…I just thought that…"

"That I won't accept it? That I will rebel against it?" Remus smiled. "I won't. However much I wanted to take you under my care, I can't." He said helplessly. "And I am glad that Severus has stepped up to help you."

Harry just stared at him.

"But you're still mad." It was a statement.

"Not mad. Disappointed."

"That's worse, Remus." Harry gave a wry chuckle.

"Disappointed that you didn't trust me enough to tell this to me at the starting, Harry." Remus said.

"I know I was wrong." Harry's voice cracked. "But I'm young and stupid, Remus. What do I know? Please don't leave me." A tear escaped his eyes and onto his left cheek. Damn his emotions.

"You are utterly, truly and absolutely daft if you think I will leave you, or stop speaking to you, Harry."

Harry gave a watery smile. "I will serve whatever detentions you want me to."

"I think I will leave that to Severus, now that I'm leaving for the task."

"Oh please no." Harry said with a horrified look. "Dad has the worst ingredients to be chopped and-" he abruptly stopped. It was the first time he had called Severus 'Dad' in a flow.

"Wow." Remus breathed. "I never imagined Severus Snape to be a dad." He smiled.

Harry grinned. "I started calling him dad a few days back."

"Guess that will make him soft on you now." Remus said thoughtfully.

"You are dreaming if you think that. I had to chop 50 cockroaches in approx sizes that day because I was out after curfew."

The old wizard laughed as Harry told him more stories about Severus and Sebastian over lunch.

When Harry was standing at the door, about to leave, he looked at Remus and took a deep breath.

"Who will teach your classes when you're gone?" He asked.

"I won't be gone for more than a week, so Dumbledore will take over."

"So we will make candy in DADA, now."

They laughed at the comment.

"Stay safe, Remus." Harry said and hugged the man.

"I will. And I'm happy for you, Harry." Remus whispered in his hair.

"I will see you in a week."

Remus nodded his head and watched the boy disappear down the hall.

/

"Ow!" Harry glowered as Severus' foot connected with his.

"Stop making that noise." Severus said, looking pleased when Harry took his leg up and sat cross legged on the chair.

Severus had forced Harry to sit with him on the dining table while he made a small schedule for them for the next month.

"So we leave every weekend?" Harry asked as he watched the man scribbled something in his spidery handwriting.

"Yes. Every Friday night. And we will be back on Sunday night, or earlier, if possible."

"What if it takes us longer?" Harry flicked a small ant which was crawling towards him and watched it disappear down the table.

"Then Albus covers for us." Severus said.

"Don't you think it's dangerous for you?" Severus looked up at the comment.

"Dangerous for _me?_ " He pointed to his chest. "Aren't _you_ the 16 year old?"

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Not like that. I mean, what if the Death Eaters see you?" He said. "It's sure to blow up your cover."

Severus eyed the boy.

"I don't care." He said softly. "All I care, at the moment, is to aid you in whatever I can, to help you destroy that man who has ruined both our lives."

Harry nodded mutely.

"But you are still in danger."

"We will be under a disguise when we travel." Severus answered and went back to his writing.

Harry scrunched up his face. "You always make me ugly."

"Well, you know what they say, you can't hide who you are." Severus shrugged nonchalantly.

"Dad!"


	16. Crashing Down

**A/N: Hey Guys! Happy New Year!**

 **I know you all are pretty upset with me for not updating, and I am extremely sorry for that. I hit a rough patch where I just stopped doing everything i loved. But it's all good now. I am sorry again.**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter :)**

 **Chapter 16: Crashing down**

"Don't you think I should at least tell my friends?" Harry asked from where he was perched on the arm of the sofa while Severus was rummaging around in a trunk.

"For what? McGonagall and Dumbledore know."

"But what if others ask them? Like Neville and Dean and Seamus?" A duffle bag flew and hit him on his chest. He caught it before it hit the floor and examined it.

"If they ask, McGonagall will deal with it." Severus stood up and tucked his hair behind his ear. "Fill that with minimum clothes. And by minimum, I mean 2 underwear, 2 shirts and 2 trousers, not _empty_." Harry rolled his eyes and stood up from his seat.

"I know." He said. "I _still_ think-"

"Oh for god's sake Albus will talk with them." Severus gave the boy a push towards his room. "Go pack. I will be back in half an hour."

"Don't staff meetings suck?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Are you going or should I…" Severus watched with a satisfied smirk as the boy practically scurried inside his room.

"Yes, they do suck." He muttered to himself before flooing to Albus' office.

/

Severus sighed in relief when the meeting ended. He was quite impressed when almost every teacher complimented him regarding the behavior and of the Slytherin house and their academic work.

He taught them well.

The meeting took a downfall when Trelawney started complaining about always finding broken eggs in front of her classroom every morning.

At the end, when everybody started leaving, he saw McGonagall sitting with Dumbledore and finally took his cue to leave.

Minerva was a little too overprotective of her lions. Severus rolled his eyes as he remembered the horrified look she had given him yesterday, when he had told her that Harry will be accompanying him to destroy the Horcruxes.

He was just about to open the door to leave when the woman in question spoke.

"Severus, I would like to speak with you."

"Good to know." Severus nodded at her and continued his exit, having no intentions of indulging in a conversation with her.

"Severus Snape! Get over here." Severus sighed before turning around and stalking towards his previously occupied armchair. He saw Albus give him an amused smirk but ignored the man.

"What?" He asked.

"I know you and Harry leave tonight." Minerva started.

"Shall I award points?"

Minerva pursed her lips and Severus shut up.

After almost half an hour of warnings and instructions, Severus had had enough.

"Stop, Minerva. I know that the boy needs to eat, sleep and not be dead. I adopted him for Merlin's sake." He said and stood up.

"We will be back on Sunday." He looked at Albus. "Harry wishes for Mr Weasley and Miss Granger to know about our purpose, please inform them at your convenience. And take your potions." He said pointedly.

"Be careful, my boy." Albus nodded.

Severus nodded at the old man and looked at Minerva.

"Any wise last words?" He asked sardonically.

"I will have your hide if either of you come home hurt."

Severus snorted before leaving through the floo network.

He noticed with approval that Harry's bag was kept beside his own on the sofa. He opened the boy's bag and checked the contents before sighing and summoning his socks.

" _That_ was what I was forgetting." Harry said from the kitchen door as he watched Severus grab the socks from mid air and dump them in his bag.

"Come here."

Harry walked and stood in front of Severus. The man took out his wand and gave Harry a critical look.

"How do you feel about blondes?" Severus asked.

"Don't you dare." Harry threatened.

Severus smirked and tapped his wand on Harry's head.

Harry felt the effects of the spell and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw a long mirror in front of him. His hair was a rusty brown color and his jaw line was made more prominent. His figure was a little buffed up but Harry knew that it was all a show, even though he had gained some muscle since Severus had adopted him, he still had a long way to go. His nose was a little elongated and-

"You didn't change my eyes." Harry said and looked at Severus who was watching him.

"No." Harry didn't ask for any explanation. He simply nodded.

"Well, you made me handsome." He grinned. "Now, what about you?"

Severus, with a reluctant sigh, waved his wand on his body.

Harry watched as the man's body gleamed and a lanky man stood in front of him. Gone were the long silky black hair, instead, there were short meticulously cut hair with same shade as Harry's. Severus' pale color had darkened a little and his well toned muscles stood out. His nose had shortened and his eyes were a shade of blue.

"Wow." Harry breathed. Severus inspected himself before giving a small grunt.

"Are you ready?"

"As I will ever be." Harry shrugged. "Where are we going first?" He asked as he put on his shoes. He was dressed in a pair of black jeans and blue sweatshirt which hid his skinny figure. His white sneakers completed his muggle look, as instructed by Severus.

"I will tell you on the way." Severus said and went into his room. Harry drummed his fingers as he waited for him.

Severus came out after a few minutes later, dressed in black jeans which was a perfect fit for him, a white shirt and black jumper.

Harry, out of mischief, whistled and winked at the man, who gave him an unamused look and kicked Harry's feet while passing him. He shrunk their bags and put them in his pocket before standing in the grate.

"Come on."

" _Where_ are we going?" Harry whined as he walked and stood beside the man in the grate.

"Heathrow Airport." Severus said and they whooshed away.

/

" _Wilbur? Wilbur Benson?"_ Harry complained as he opened his passport and looked at his name. "Wilbur doesn't even suit me."

"Stop whining. It's an alias, it's not supposed to suit you." Severus said as they moved forward in the line for Check – In.

The lady on the counter took their passports and gave a sick sweet smile to Severus, who ignored her blatantly.

"What's your name?" Harry snatched Snape's passport from his hands. "Theodore Benson." Harry read.

"I'm going to call you Ted, then we will see." He grumbled and earned himself a head slap.

After a few minutes, the duo found themselves sitting near the gate of their flight, waiting to board.

"Have you ever travelled by an airplane before?" Severus asked Harry who was reading a muggle novel the man had shoved at him. He shook his head but didn't meet Severus' eyes.

"The Dursley's never took me on any holiday. They always kept me at Old Mrs Figgs' or alone at home." Harry shrugged.

Severus noted the way his hands had tightened around the book and put a calming hand on them.

"Don't." He said. Harry looked at the hand and made no effort to move away.

"Is it frightening?" He asked in a small voice. "All the way in the air without any support?"

" _This,_ coming from a boy who plays Quidditch and performs death rattling stunts, is quite shocking." Harry rolled his eyes at the answer.

"You'll be fine."

The speaker announced something and everyone around them stood up.

Severus looked a little uncomfortable as he looked at Harry.

"Should you feel any kind of…discomfort, you are welcome to hold my hand." He said and quickly stood up.

Harry grinned at himself before nodding.

"Come, Wilbur."

Harry cringed at the name but complied and followed the man.

/

"It was so boring." Harry declared as they stepped out of Dublin Airport.

"Because it had all the safety features?" Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Ye-no! It was just too… steady." Harry said.

"Hmm." Severus commented, silently nursing his now bruised hand.

"So, how far is Bray?" Harry asked.

"About 20 km south of Dublin." Severus answered.

"Are we taking a car?" Harry looked around.

"Are you this stupid everyday or is today something special?" Severus frowned.

"I wouldn't know, you adopted me." Harry gave him a cheeky smile and Severus rolled his eyes.

"We will be apparating." He said and they moved to a small alley.

Severus grabbed Harry's shoulder and they instantly appeared on a small street of Bray.

"Welcome to the wizarding sector of Bray." Severus said.

"Hold on. Why didn't we apparate or use the floo to come to Ireland?" Harry asked confusedly as he followed the man. Witches and Wizards in robes gave them small smiles as they passed them.

"Because International Floo travel requires registration and no kinds of disguise can ever break their charms." Severus answered.

"And apparition?"

"You cannot apparate from one country to another. Different countries have different wards due to their history."

"Wow, I never knew that." Harry blinked as they entered a small shady inn.

"You would if you had paid any attention in your History of Magic class." Severus ringed the dusty bell with disdain and they waited for the receptionist.

"Are you sure we have to stay here?" Harry asked and looked around the ratty room. Forest green couch with white patches stood in front of a fireplace which was as burnt as the logs in it.

"We won't be staying for long. And we need to keep a low profile." Severus said quietly as an old woman with a walking stick entered.

"A room for a night." Severus said and the woman slapped a register in front of him.

"Your name and your place of residence." She said.

Harry watched as the man wrote the name of his alias and England as the place of residence. The woman sneered at him but didn't say anything.

"20 Galleons." She said simply and Severus opened his small bag to pay.

She handed them a key and walked off again.

"Thanks for the warm welcome." Harry muttered. Severus pushed him towards the stairs and soon they were looking at a room which had a single King size bed, a chair with its one leg chipped, a desk which stood on some books, and a bathroom, the door of which wouldn't lock, and a small table with two chairs which Harry had no intention to sit on.

"This is ridiculous." Harry said and threw himself on the bed. He coughed at the dust that flew due to his actions. "Can't she use magic to clean this up a bit."

"She's a squib. Stop complaining and come here." Harry made his way to the table and tentatively sat down in one of the chairs.

Severus pushed a paper towards him. A golden necklace with purple stone was drawn on it.

"This is what we are looking for?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"Why the necklace?"

Severus leaned back in the chair.

"The Dark Lord's father was a muggle. He got the necklace from his mother to give to his wife. After the demise of Merope Gaunt and Tom Riddle Sr., the necklace went to The Dark Lord."

"How sure are we that this is a horcrux?" Harry asked and slid the paper back towards Severus.

At his question, Severus shifted in his chair.

"40%. Albus has this…concept where he thinks that you might be able to recognize the Horcrux." Harry frowned at him.

"Me? How?"

"Due to your scar." Severus' gaze shifted to his forehead and Harry rubbed his scar softly.

"But _how_?"

"I do not know. Albus didn't reveal that to me."

"Oh, so you are depending on me?"

"In a way, yes." Severus said and slipped the papers in his pocket.

"Where's the house?"

"In the muggle part of the town." Severus said and stood up. "How do feel about having Italian for dinner?"

"How do you say _'very good'_ in Italian?"

"You can try English."

/

Bray, at night, was a calm quiet town. People usually went home before midnight, and only a few pubs were open for drunken rogue teenagers to drink their minds off.

Harry and Severus had had a nice dinner in the town's reputed place before walking around a bit.

"How close are we to the house?" Harry asked as they passed an extremely quiet alleyway.

"We are roaming around the area." Severus said. "As soon as it is time, we will go."

" _Time_? What are we waiting for? It's night already."

"After midnight."

They roamed the streets without any problems with Severus telling Harry some of the techniques that Death Eaters used.

At around 12:30 Harry started yawning and Severus dragged him to a small coffee shop to reenergise.

After about 2 shots of expressos, Harry was ready for a fight with Voldemort himself.

"You think there might be Death Eaters at the house?" Harry asked quietly as they walked down an isolated path to the house.

"Not likely." Severus answered.

At a small distance, a tiny house came into view. The black aura of Dark Magic was literally radiating off of the walls. Harry's heart started beating rapidly as the twigs crushed under his sneakers.

Just as they were about to enter the premises, Severus stopped him.

"Keep you Wand at the ready at _all times._ " He stressed.

"Yes." Harry nodded distractedly.

"I am not joking, Harry." Severus diverted the boy's attention towards himself. "We do not have an idea of what lies inside. If I see you without precautions even for a second, you are not coming with me on the next trip." Severus threatened.

"Yes, I know. I will be prepared. Can we go in, now?" Harry tapped his old wand on his leg impatiently. Severus held his gaze for one more moment before nodding.

As soon as they entered the gate of the house, the soft chirping of the birds stopped. The crickets stopped screeching and the owls stopped hooting.

Harry gulped at the heavy wards that lay over the house. It only alerted him that Voldemort had kept something of great importance in there to put up almost all the protection spells in the world over it.

The stairs to the patio were rusted to the stage where Harry had to hold on to the posts in case they gave away under his weight.

Severus' protective presence was the only thing that kept him going. He knew that he could always rely on the man.

The door creaked as Severus opened it.

With the help of two Lumos', they could see the furniture was covered in white cloths which were now a light shade of brown due to dust and lack of use. The lamps had webs creeping up to the ceilings and the shelves were ready to fall at even the lightest bit of movement.

The staircase leading upstairs was in the same condition as the whole house.

Harry exhaled loudly.

"This is going to be tough." He said and coughed a little. Severus put a charm on both of them which created a bubble around their faces to keep the dust off.

"You check this level, I will go up." The man instructed. "If anything happens, or you find something, holler."

"Okay." Harry nodded. "A golden necklace with purple stone." He repeated.

Severus nodded before carefully making his way upstairs.

Harry scrunched up his nose in disgust as he entered the kitchen. A few broken toys, a deflated ball and some yellow papers littered the floor. The sink was a mess with insects crawling in and out of the drain. Harry gagged and turned away. He slowly opened all the cabinets, breaking a door in the process which was totally not his fault, and checked inside.

After clearing the kitchen, he started on the living room which hardly took him 5 minutes due to the bare minimum of things kept there.

With a heavy heart and the thought that maybe they were tricked, Harry made him way into the last room which was the study.

The lamps were broken and their covers were strewn apart. A small sofa in the corner was torn as well. The table was littered with spilled ink and a few torn pages and unopened letters sat in a haphazard manner.

Harry slowly opened all the drawers in the desk one by one. As soon as he reached the last one, his scar gave a small twinge and his breathing hitched. A black smoke enveloped his mind and he forced his mind out of it with the help of Occlumency.

His head was throbbing and his scar was burning. Harry closed his eyes against the pain and yelled.

"Dad!"

Severus was checking the bathroom cabinets when the faint cries of his son reached his ears.

He quickly raced downstairs and found the boy in the study, sitting on his knees with a hand clasped to his forehead.

Severus went down on his knee and held Harry's head up.

"Harry, Harry." Severus tried to stop him from flailing his head. "Stop. Look at me. Occlude."

Harry tried his hardest to keep the pain away. After a few minutes of fighting the calloused hands, he was finally able to sense what was happening.

His head was in Severus' shoulder who was kneeling in front of him with his one hand on his back and the other in his hair.

Harry slowly peeled himself away from Severus and gulped.

"Dumbledore was right. I can feel them." Harry said heavily and pointed at the last drawer. "It's in there."

Severus made sure that Harry was sitting properly against the desk before moving to open the mentioned drawer. His heart beat rapidly against his rib cage as he slowly opened it.

"Harry, it's empty." Severus said softly.

"What?" Harry dragged himself over towards the man and looked inside too. "That can't be possible. I can still feel it, Dad." His eyes connected with the black. "I swear I am not lying."

"Calm down, I know." Severus said comfortingly before examining the drawer again. The bottom was unpolished and a few splinters were unearthed here and there. What caught Severus' attention was a small chipped portion at the far corner of the drawer.

"Hold on." He said and took out the whole drawer. He gave it a little shake and sure enough, something rattled inside. Harry gave him a tiny smile.

"It's there." He whispered.

He watched as Severus took out a Swiss knife from his pocket and tried to opened the false bottom.

"What are you, a secret Navy commander?" Harry commented. Severus didn't respond and a soft click was heard. He pocketed the knife and slowly took out the now unattached bottom. There, in the small space, lied a black velvet pouch. Harry slowly took it and opened it, depositing the small piece of jewellery on his hand.

"It's beautiful." Harry breathed, truly mesmerized by the necklace. The golden polished surface was shining as bright as the sun, and the purple stone had a black mist swirling around in it.

Even Severus was taken aback by the beauty of the necklace.

" _It's all a scam, Severus. The Horcruxes are made in a way that they try to conquer your mind. You need to beware of the fact that you have a young boy with you who has recently mastered occlumency. You need to be aware at all times, Severus."_

Albus' words raced in his head and Severus quickly shook his head.  
"Put it back in the pouch." He ordered and when Harry failed to comply, he himself snatched it from the boy and put it in the pouch before pocketing it.

"What was that?" Harry asked him as he blinked several times.

"The horcruxes, they try to take over your mind. Come, we are leaving." He said and offered Harry a hand, which the boy graciously took.

"How are we going to destroy it?" Harry asked once they were out of the house and walking towards the gate. "Won't Voldemort know that we stole his horcrux?"

Severus didn't answer but kept walking with his wand in his right hand and left hand clasped behind Harry's neck.

They quickly made their way out of the wards and Harry could feel the difference in the air. It was more free and light.

He looked at Severus who had stopped and was exhaling loudly.

"We took it." Harry said with a grin.

Severus smiled back.

"We will have to destroy it tomorrow. I will contact Albus regarding it. And as for your other question, I do not think that the Dark Lord would want to be notified every time some muggle wanders inside the wards."

"So, he wouldn't know?" Harry frowned. Their hotel was in their sight now and he longed to curl up in the hopefully warm bed.

"Mostly."

"That is not the answer I was looking for."

The rest of their walk was in silence. The old lady in the reception was asleep in her chair and the duo quietly crept up.

"Go, wash up." Severus said and steered the boy towards the door. His scar was still burning red, but the pain had subsided a little.

When Harry came out in his pajamas, Severus was sitting on the bed looking at the necklace. He handed Harry a salve for his forehead and the boy thanked him.

"I call the right side." Harry said and fell down behind Severus. "How creepy is it to think that it has a piece of Voldemort?"

Severus nodded his head and kept the necklace on the bedside table.

"You are sure you are alright?" He asked the now half asleep boy.

"Yeah, Dad." Harry mumbled.

"Go to sleep." Severus whispered and patted his head.

Once he was sure the boy was sleeping, Severus grabbed his clothes and went to use the bathroom himself.

His mind was occupied with only one question as he showered.

 _Why was Harry able to sense the Horcrux?_

He closed his eyes and let the warm water work it's magic on his tensed muscles.

He needed to speak with Albus immediately.

Severus came out after a few minutes dressed in black sweatpants and grey t-shirt.

He waved his wand over his hair and they instantly dried.

After a look at the Harry, Severus threw on his sweater and slipped out of the room after grabbing something out of his duffle bag.

He made his way downstairs and out of the hotel, onto the quiet streets of Bray.

After walking at a distance, he put his hand in his pocket and took out the muggle cellphone he had brought for himself and Albus.

He dialed the number and hoped to god that Albus was paying attention when he had explained him the workings of the phone.

After three rings, Albus' voice floated from the other end.

"Hello?"

"Albus, it's me." Severus said and leaned behind on a brick wall.

"Severus, what can I do for you?" Albus asked.

"Albus, we got it."

"Oh that is great news, my boy!"

"Yes. But I want to ask you something and I need you to give me a clear answer." Severus said firmly.

"Anything, Severus."

Severus stayed quiet for a second or two.

"Why is Harry able to feel the Horcruxes?"

There was dead silence at the other end and for a second Severus thought that Albus had hung up on him.

"A clear answer, you say?"

"Yes."

Albus took a deep breath before speaking. "Harry can feel the Horcruxes, because Harry himself is one."

The street felt too silent. Severus leaned his head back till it touched the wall.

He felt as if his throat was shrinking on its own. His eyes felt as if they were being pricked with pins and his mind was as numb as a limb on ice.

"Severus? Severus?" Albus worriedly called from the other side.

But Severus was too busy trying to think of ways he can tell Harry about this.

Finally, after a while Severus answered.

"How?"

Albus sighed. "This conversation shouldn't be done on the phone. I will explain everything when you come back."

"Since when did you knew?" Severus' fist clenched beside him when Albus didn't answer.

"Two weeks. I couldn't say for sure until and unless Harry actually went near a horcrux."

Severus didn't have any words left in him. With a gulp, he disconnected the phone and roughly stuffed it back in his pocket.

It was too much information in too little time. It was information overload.

 _Harry._

He had just got a son and now he was supposed to see him get killed to save this world?

No.

He couldn't let that happen. He had to find a way.

A snickering couple passed in front of him and Severus realized that he needed to be somewhere else.

He walked a short distance to a small park with a pond. He seated himself on the bench and listened to the insects' cries.

What was he going to go do? His head fell in his hands as he rested his elbows on his knees.

He couldn't let Harry die.

He needed to speak with someone about this.

His head snapped up and his hands fiddled in his pocket. He took out his phone and quickly dialed the familiar number.

It rang four times before a sleepy voice answered grumpily.

"Sebastian, I need your help."

 **A/N: Let me know what you think!**


	17. Defection

**Chapter 17 – Defection**

Harry was ecstatic when they finally made it inside the gates of Hogwarts. He was dying to meet his friends; and to sleep in a bed that is not occupied by bed bugs and smells like some old guy's saliva.

"I'll see you at dinner?" He looked sideways at his father and frowned at the preoccupied expression on the man's face.

Severus had been acting a little weird since the other day. He had agreed to Harry's almost every request in Bray, which was a surprise in itself, and gave him peculiar looks when he thought Harry wasn't noticing.

"Dad?" He called again.

Severus' head snapped towards him.

"Yes. Dinner." He nodded. "Be on time, don't miss it."

"Are you alright?" Harry asked and stopped at the door of the stairs that led to the castle.

"What do you mean?" Severus said and started climbing, not meeting the boy's eyes. He could hear Harry running up to match his pace.

"You are acting as if something wrong is going to happen. Or-or you're solving some kind of puzzle in your head." Harry said with wild hand gestures.

The Entrance Hall was thankfully silent as the students were in the Great Hall for lunch.

Severus sighed and looked at the boy.

"I will talk to you later, Harry." He said tiredly. The dark circles underneath his eyes alerted Harry that the man had not slept. Concern blossomed in Harry's chest and he was about to say something when Severus abruptly turned around and went towards the stairs that led to the dungeons.

"Is this about me sensing the Horcruxes?" Harry said a bit loudly and watched as the man froze in his steps.

"I said, _I will talk to you later, Harry_." Severus said with repressed anger which was not meant for the boy.

"Fine. Bye." Harry said angrily and went inside the Great Hall, not bothering to see if Severus was gone or not.

Severus sighed and rubbed a hand on his face. He needed to get himself together.

He quickly made his way to the dungeons and opened the door to the quarters. It was a welcoming sight. The rooms were warm and the homely aroma calmed Severus a bit.

He kicked his boots towards the coat stand and made himself comfortable on the sofa.

Severus heard a faint clink of pot in the kitchen and instantly stood up with his wand at the ready. Footsteps sounded on the stone floor and Severus stood silently, a curse on his tongue.

"Ex-"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" The coffee mug almost slipped from the man's hand and he stumbled backwards, saving himself just at the last moment.

" _Sebastian?_ "

Sebastian hissed and put his finger in his mouth. "I burned it." He said around it.

Severus rolled his eyes and pocketed his wand before summoning a cooling salve for his brother.

"What the hell are you doing here? Didn't you say you were in China?" He asked as Sebastian took a seat beside him on the sofa.

"After your call, I knew you were distressed. I couldn't stay there knowing my brother and my nephew are in danger." He said as he called capped the bottle.

"Oh and you flew here to save the day?" Severus asked sarcastically.

"As always, Sebastian to the rescue." Severus rolled his eyes at his brother's grin before putting his head in his head.

"I don't know what I am going to do." He said softly and massaged his temples.

" _We."_

"What?" Severus looked at him oddly.

"What _we_ are going to do, Severus. You're not alone, brother." Sebastian put a comforting hand on Severus' shoulder which was shaking a little despite the man's attempt to put on a brave show. "I got you."

/

Harry opened the door to the Great Hall and booked as everyone stared at him.

' _Oops'_ He thought carelessly, not bothering to respond with any expressions.

He saw Ron waving his hand and quickly went over and sat down beside him. He could feel Albus' gaze on him and reluctantly looked at the man and gave him a nod. Albus smiled at him and winked.

Harry frowned when the smile soon turned sad and the boy looked away uncomfortably.

"…Harry!"

Harry's head snapped to Hermione.

"Yes."

"How are you?" She asked him.

"Fine. Fine." He dismissed their concerns.

"You sure mate?" Ron asked him.

"Yes, I'm sure." Harry said.

"Heard you took a nasty hit during your secret duelling sessions with the Headmaster, Harry." Seamus said from down the table. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione in confusion. "No one would let us into the Hospital wing to see you."

"That's the story Dumbledore asked us to tell." Ron whispered at his side.

"Oh, yes. It was horrible." Harry said and pretended to be sad. "My left side was fully paralysed and all."

"Oh man, that's gotta be a huge problem." Dean said. "How'd you go about your business?" He asked.

"I-uh had some help." Harry blushed.

"From who?" Neville asked curiously.

"Doesn't matter. I'm fine though, thanks." Harry said, abruptly ending the conversation.

He turned towards Ron and Hermione.

"So, any new updates while I was lying almost dead in the Hospital Wing?" He asked lightly.

"No. Nothing new except Ginny broke up with her newest fling." Ron rolled his eyes. Harry looked down the table and saw a morose Ginny playing with her food. "I told her multiple times that that Ravenclaw bloke was not a good guy. But did she listen? No."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "She needs to make her own mistakes, Ron."

"Yeah, but-"

"Alright, anything else?" Harry cut off their argument before it converted into a full fledged battle.

After a few more trivial news which caught him up to his House's love life and other things, Harry finally sat back.

"Nothing on Quidditch?" He asked and took a sip of his juice.

"We might have a match with Hufflepuff next week. McGonagall said she can't confirm it, but it's on Sunday." Ron said and shifted uncomfortably. "Think you can make it?" He asked and gave Harry a meaningful glance.

Harry chewed his bottom lip and sighed.

"I don't know." He said. "I need to set my priorities straight, Ron. Right now, nothing is more important than killing Voldemort." Harry said softly.

Hermione nodded at him.

"I'm proud of you, Harry." She said and Harry smiled at her.

The trio soon made their way to the Gryffindor Tower and sat in their usual seats with a privacy charm.

"How did your _endeavour_ go?" Hermione asked him as Harry toyed with his old wand. He kept the Elder wand close but had decided to not use it unless absolutely necessary.

"It was good. We recovered the horcrux." Harry nodded.

"Did you destroy it?" Ron asked.

"Yes." Harry nodded and remembered how he and Severus had gone to a small clearing in the forest in Bray.

 _Flashback_

The twigs snapped under their shoes as the two brown headed figures made their way into the forest.

"You sure you know how to destroy that?" Harry asked.

"No, I forgot to read the instruction manual that the Dark Lord usually keeps with his Horcruxes."

Harry rolled his eyes at the snark.

"I was just being sure." He mumbled and parted the shrubs with the help of his hands.

They finally stopped at a small clearing beside the lake. Severus put the necklace on a big stone and looked at Harry.

"You ready?" He asked and Harry nodded.

Severus took out the Sword of Gryffindor that Dumbledore had sent magically this morning. He looked at the sword and the Horcrux before turning to Harry.

"I think you should do the honors." He said softly.

"Me?"

Severus nodded. "Go on."

Harry gave him a genuine smile before taking the sword from the man's hand.

"So I just smash it with this?" He asked.

"With full force." Severus nodded and back a little.

"Alright." Harry breathed and adjusted his grip. "Three…two….one."

The sword fell loudly on the necklace and Severus could hear the tell tale of the glass shattering. Black mist rose above their heads and took shape of Voldemort's face. It appeared to be screaming.

Strong winds blew and Severus fell to the ground where he took support of a tree's trunk. His eyes searched for Harry but the sand and wind made it impossible to spot anyone within 2 metres.

Just as fast as it had come, the wind went away. Severus stood up and saw Harry sprawled beside the sword.

"Harry!" He shook his shoulder. The scar on the boy's forehead was alarmingly red and was even tinged with some blood.

"Harry! Wake up!"

Green eyes fluttered open and Harry looked up at him.

"Well, that was a little uncomfortable." He said lightly and sat up.

Severus and Harry started chuckling before he helped Harry to his feet.

"Well, one down two to go." Harry said as they made their way back to the hotel.

Severus just nodded solemnly.

 _Three_.

His mind screamed at him but he showed no reaction on the outside.

"He knows we are destroying it." Harry said suddenly. "He got very angry after I killed it. I had to put my everything to block him out of my head."

"He was bound to know one way or other." Severus said.

"Will it put your position in danger?"

"He doesn't know I'm with you." Severus said. "And even if he does, I don't care anymore."

"It's just a matter of time before we kill him." Harry nodded.

 _Flashback End._

"How many more to go?" Ron asked.

"Two."

"Harry, you know we want to help you in any way possible, don't you?" Hermione asked him. Harry gave her a fond smile.

"Yes. I know, Hermione. But this is something that we need to do without endangering a lot of people." Harry shook his head.

"We get it, mate." Ron clapped his shoulder. "Just know, that we are here if you need us. Any time of any day."

"I know." Harry said and patted his knee.

/

Severus paced the living room as Sebastian watched him from his seat on the sofa. After 6 cups of coffee, the older man was a walking anxiety disorder.

"Severus, sit down before I do something tragic. Like separate your body from your legs." Sebastian said warningly.

"I can't. We need to find a way, Sebastian. A way to save Harry." Severus said as if he was the only one who understood the gravity of the situation.

"Severus, I know. But working yourself up is not going to do Harry or you any good. We need to sit down and think about it calmly." Sebastian reasoned with him. "And we also need to think about how we are going to break it to Harry."

Before Severus could answer, the floo flared to life and Albus' face appeared. He wasn't surprised to see Sebastian sitting in the quarters. He knew Severus would have told him the minute he figured it out.

"Gentlemen, if you would please join me in my office." He said.

Severus nodded and not before long, he and Sebastian were stepping through the floo and into Albus' office.

After they were sitting comfortably in the armchairs, Severus stared talking.

"You have anything in mind, Albus? Please tell me you have something in mind. Because I am not ready to lose my son to that bastard." Severus said.

"I did extensive research on the topic, Severus. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything relating to our situation as it is probably the first time something like this has happened." Albus ran a hand over his face. "I'm sorry."

"He's sorry- what do you _mean_ you are sorry? You must have _something,_ Albus!" Severus raised his voice. A calming hand dropped on his thigh and he looked at his brother.

"Severus, we will get through this." He said firmly. "I need you to stay calm. Please."

Severus stared at him for a second before standing up and walking out without a word.

Albus looked at Sebastian for an explanation.

"He will cool down and come back." Sebastian said. They talked regarding different books that Sebastian thought might have the answers but none of them stood up. Even though the younger Snape had no interest in books, he had started reading some after getting the news.

Severus came back after roughly 10 minutes, looking a lot calmer than he had before.

"We need to tell Harry about this." He said.

"Now?" Sebastian asked.

"I think Severus is right. Harry has a right to know." Albus agreed.

"Do you think he can handle it?" Sebastian asked Severus.

"He's a tough boy. He will handle it. And if he can't, I am there for him." Severus said.

"We all are, Severus." Albus said and looked the man in the eye. Albus then called Fawkes and whispered something in the Phoenix's ears. The bird screeched softly before disappearing in a snap.

"Harry will be here soon." He said.

True to Albus' words, after 5 minutes there was a knock on the door.

"Come in, Harry."

Harry slowly peeped inside and his eyes lit up. His face stretched in a huge grin when he saw Sebastian.

"Hey!" He greeted the man. Sebastian grinned too and stood up, engulfing the teen in his huge arms.

"I missed you." He said and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Me too." Harry said and pulled away. "What are you doing here?" He asked and took a seat beside his father.

"You will know soon." Sebastian smiled sadly. Harry's grin dropped and he looked at Severus.

"What-what's wrong?" He asked them.

Severus sighed deeply before he looked at Harry.

"There is something we need to tell you." He said. "Harry, it's not pleasant."

Harry's green eyes hardened.

"I can take it." He said. "What is it?"

Severus looked at Albus who nodded slightly. The old man cleared is throat before he started talking. He told Harry all about his findings.

Sebastian's black eyes were trained at the duo sitting beside him. Severus watching Harry while the young boy took the news with all his might.

Harry closed his eyes after Albus was done. Severus was scared at the look his son had on his face. When Harry had opened his eyes, they had a black spark in them.

"Voldemort…" Harry started. "Voldemort is someone who has destroyed millions of lives, Headmaster. He has killed thousands of people."

Severus decided did not like the way this conversation was going.

"And now that we know how to get rid of him, we need to act upon it." Harry looked at his father and Sebastian. "And if that means I have to die, I am ready for it."

Severus was afraid of _exactly_ this. Before he could open his mouth and say something, Harry spoke again.

"I know, Dad." Harry said and looked at him. "I know you don't agree. And I know that it's too soon." Severus closed his eyes and let his head fall in his hands. "But what choice do we have?"

Seeing Severus at a loss of words, Sebastian stepped in and kneeled in front of Harry.

"Harry, we will find a way." He said firmly.

"Hopefully." Harry said as Sebastian patted his knee.

Severus suddenly gasped and clutched his hand.

"He's calling me." He said in a strained voice and looked at Sebastian before pointing to Harry. "Don't let him out of sight." He stood up and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'll be back, I promise."

"Stay safe." Harry said, his voice filled with worry.

"I always do." Severus have Albus a nod before apparating on spot.

Harry took a deep breath as Sebastian returned to his seat.

"So there's three now." He said and looked at Albus. "The other two, what are they?"

Albus took out a paper and handed it to the teen.

"A compass?" Harry frowned at the drawing before handing it over to Sebastian.

"From the times when Tom was a child in the orphanage." Albus nodded. "He liked to take some walks in nature. That compass was a birthday gift."

"From who?" Sebastian asked casually.

"Me." Albus said softly.

Harry's eyes bulged out. "You?"

Harry knew about the times when Dumbledore had visited Tom in his orphanage, but he didn't know those two were so close.

"Who would have thought that compass would have shown him the direction of destruction." Albus shook his head sadly.

"This is quite old, from the 1800's, I'd say." Sebastian studied the drawing carefully. "A beautiful masterpiece."

"1895, to be exact." Albus supplied. "It's non-magical, I got it from a sailor when I was a young lad."

"Why did he keep it?" Harry wondered out loud. "It's no secret he doesn't like you. Why keep a gift?"

Albus shrugged in response.

"Maybe he's taunting you." Sebastian said. "Who knows."

"Where do we find it?" Harry asked.

"I heard chatter that it's in…" Albus cleared his throat. "It's in Malfoy Manor."

Harry looked at him oddly before bursting out laughing. The adults have him peculiar looks as he laughed.

"You're kidding, right?" He said.

"I'm afraid I'm very much telling you the truth, Harry."

" _Malfoy Manor_? Forget about it. We can never touch it." Harry said and shook his head.

"He's right. It's a tough game." Sebastian backed up. "It's said to be where Voldemort is residing currently. We can't just walk right in and grab it."

"You can, if you have someone on the inside." Albus smirked and looked at Harry.

Harry instantly recognised the look.

"Oh _hell_ no." He frantically shook his head. "Not a chance."

"Harry…"

"Forget about it, Professor."

"What-what am I missing?" Sebastian asked and looked between the two.

"Harry here, has recently made acquaintances with the youngest Malfoy."

Albus smiled.

" _What_?" Sebastian asked and looked at the boy. "Is he serious?"

"He's _not_." Harry said and glared at Albus. "Malfoy followed me to an abandoned bathroom and hit me."

"And you didn't do anything about it?" Sebastian gave him an odd look.

"Harry took the high road-"

" _I did not!"_

"- and stuck to Severus' warning about Mr Malfoy going through a hard time."

"He's not my friend, nor an acquaintance." Harry said firmly.

"Oh but he is." Sebastian sided with Albus and both the elder men shared a grin.

Harry sighed and shook his head.

"Dear Merlin, save me."

/

Severus coughed as he walked to the dungeons. It was almost 2:30 in the morning. The Dark Lord of course hadn't exactly been grinning about the fact that his Horcruxes were being hunted down.

Severus was fortunately not the target of his ire this time. Wormtail had taken the pleasure of all the 14 Cruciatus Curses before collapsing in a sobbing heap.

Severus had suffered a little, but nothing a hot shower couldn't fix.

He touched the quarters' door and it flung open.

Sebastian was sprawled on the sofa with a plate of half eaten sandwich on the table. He was fast asleep with his one hand on the floor.

Severus' eyes went over to Harry who was curled up on a rug beside the fireplace. He slowly went and sat himself on the armchair.

The movement roused Sebastian and he quickly sat up.

"Hey." He whispered groggily. "You look alive."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "That's because I am."

"How did it go?"

"He wasn't angry at me." Severus said and leaned his head back.

"That's good."

There was some shuffling behind them and Harry too woke up due to the talking.

"Dad?"

"Yes, I'm here." Severus answered and turned around in his seat. "I'm fine, and quite amused at how you were curled up like a dog on the rug."

Harry snorted and took a seat opposite to the man. "Very funny."

"So, any news?" Sebastian asked.

Severus sighed and rubbed his temples.

"He is going to increase the security near his other Horcruxes." Severus said. "I somehow managed to make him believe that we did not know what or where the others are, so he is not expecting any attack soon." Severus then looked at Harry.

"He was pissed, wasn't he?" Harry asked knowingly.

"I told you not to pry during the meetings." Severus glared at him. Whenever Severus went to a meeting, instead of occluding his mind, Harry had started to ease himself into Voldemort's, sometimes watching the glances of meetings from Voldemort's view. Severus sometimes regretted teaching Harry the finer aspects of the art of Occlumency.

"I had to!" Harry argued.

"No, you did not! It's extremely dangerous, Harry James." Severus said angrily. "If he gets a hint that you've been sneaking into his mind when his defences are down, he will _destroy_ your brain."

Harry didn't answer but looked down.

"Sorry."

"If I find out you did that the next time I'm in a meeting, I will give you a Comatose Potion for the whole duration, do you understand me?" Severus said sternly.

"Yes sir."

Sebastian decided it was time to intervene.

"We are all tired. We could so with some sleep." He said and stood up. "Come on, Severus, let me help you." He offered the man his hand.

"I am fine." Severus grumbled but still took the help.

Harry watched as the duo made their way to Severus' room.

 _As if he was going to sleep now._

He sighed before standing up himself and going to his room. He lay down on the bed and watched the ceiling.

He had million thoughts running inside his head right now. He groaned and turned his head into the pillow.

He heard a soft click of a distant door and knew that Sebastian had exited Severus' room.

His door opened briefly and was closed again.

Harry turned and half expected to see the man standing in his room.

But there was no one.

He lay there for a while before huffing and getting up.

Sleep was far from home today.

He turned on his desk lamp and took out his books, intending to study a little.

But his mind soon wandered over from Transfiguration to Draco Malfoy.

They needed that Horcrux. And Malfoy was the only one who could get it to them.

Harry groaned as a headache made itself known. He glanced at the clock and it read 3:30 am.

 _Still 4 hours to go._

Harry felt as if he had ingested almost 10 gallons of caffeine.

He suddenly made a decision.

He put on his pants and a t shirt and threw his sweater over his head. He then took out his invisibility cloak and tucked his wands into his waistband.

Severus had warned him about his nightly walks but Harry was far too preoccupied with nose-less bastards to think about that right now.

A walk was what he needed right now to clear his mind.

He slowly slipped out of the room. The hallway was silent and no light came from any of the door and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly went out of the quarters and stepped into the cold dungeons.

The only light in the castle was of the burning lamps that lined up on the wall after every 3 meters. Harry's shoes made no noise on the stone floor as he made his way to the top floor of the castle.

On the top floor, a small corridor which had huge windows that overlooked the castle grounds, was Harry's second favourite spot after the Astronomy tower.

His feet mindlessly took him to his usual window seat around the corner.

Just as Harry was about to turn, he heard scuffling. His breath hitched in his throat and he stopped abruptly.

 _Teacher?_

No, the patrols ended at 2.

 _Student?_

Maybe.

 _Death Eater? Voldemort?_

Harry rolled his eyes at his own thoughts.

He made sure that he was fully covered in his cloak before moving out of the shadows.

The silver hair shining in the moonlight were enough proof of Malfoy's presence.

Harry's head went back to the conversation he had had with Sebastian and Albus. He resigned mentally as he realised that he had to do it if he wanted to defeat Voldemort.

He slowly took off his cloak and cleared his throat.

Draco's head snapped towards him and his eyes narrowed slightly. His posture which had suddenly tensed up, relaxed a little as he looked at Harry.

"Malfoy." Harry nodded civilly.

Draco tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.

Harry gritted his teeth as he slowly sat down beside the blonde on the window seat.

Malfoy was still looking at him as Harry made himself comfortable. The window was opened and cold air flowed in. It was freezing, but fresh.

"You needed something, Potter?" Draco's voice slashed the silence.

"Just some answers." Harry responded in the same icy tone.

"And what makes you think that I'll provide you with them?" Draco said as he looked out the window.

"Because I saved your arse by convincing Severus to not go to Dumbledore when you so graciously took me as your own punching dummy." Harry watched as the blonde gave him an almost amused look.

"Slytherin traits rubbing off on you, Potter?"

"Come on, Malfoy, we both saw that coming." Harry drawled and Draco's lip twitched.

He looked outside before and regarded Harry for a minute.

"I will answer your questions." Draco started.

"I feel a ' _but'_ coming, and it better be soon because mine is freezing in this cold weather." Harry said and performed a warming charm on himself.

"You answer some of _my_ questions." Draco said and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Quid pro quo." Harry chuckled wryly. "Alright, Malfoy, bring it on."

Draco nodded and took a deep breath.

"In Second Year, you stole the ingredients from Severus' cabinet, didn't you?"

Whatever crude questions Harry was expecting, this was not it.

"Seriously, Malfoy? Out of all the _million_ questions you can ask me, you ask me _this_?"

Draco shrugged.

"That wasn't an answer."

Harry looked at him to confirm that the boy was serious before rolling his eyes.

"Yes. It was me. I took the ingredients." He confessed.

Draco smirked and leaned back, as if he had scored some small victory of his own.

"My turn." Harry said. "Do you have the dark mark?"

"Jumping right in, aren't we Potter?"

Harry didn't react, his intense green eyes were penetrating the other boy's skull.

Draco averted his gaze and slowly reached out to his left hand. He pushed his clothing up and showed Harry his inner forearm.

"Satisfied?"

Harry gazed at the pale smooth clear skin.

"You don't have it." He whispered mostly to himself.

"No."

"Why?"

"It's not your turn." Draco said. "Why did you leave your relatives'?"

It was Harry's turn to be uncomfortable now. He gulped. He knew he needed to earn the blonde's trust in order to actually know him and get him on their side.

He sighed before showing the other boy his own forearms. The thin pink lines were still visible in the scarce light. Draco stared at them for quite a while before talking.

"They abused you." Draco stated as he took a look. "And you punished yourself over…" his calculating gaze searched Harry's face. "Your godfather's death."

"100 points to Slytherin." Harry said flatly and over his arms back up. "Why didn't you take the Dark Mark?"

"I don't want to play anymore." Draco said and started to get up.

Harry scoffed. Draco stopped in his tracks and looked at Harry.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"I should have known." Harry said and looked at Draco. "Snakes are evasive. Go on, Malfoy, slither out of here. It's like your second nature now." Harry knew he was provoking Draco.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Potter." Draco said in a strained voice.

"Exactly." Harry said. "And even if I wanted to know, you just leave. Just like you left your father and mother."

Harry could feel the anger radiating off of the other boy.

Draco looked up and closed his eyes. He appeared to be calming himself.

Harry was still looking out of the window when he felt Draco sit down again. It was when the boy started talking that Harry looked at him.

"I never wanted to follow my father's footsteps." Draco said. "I knew what the Dark Lord was. Evil, malicious, sadist, heartless and possibly every other negative word in the Dictionary. My father always taught me how to respect our family name. He taught me how wrong Dumbledore is and how right Dark Lord is." Draco didn't know why but all his feelings were coming up. He hadn't talked to anyone about this. But with Potter, everything was coming up easier for some unknown reason. "As I grew up, I realised the error in his ways. Started making my own choices. He never liked that. He always wanted to control my life down to what I wear everyday."

Harry could hear the distress. He always thought it would have been easier for Draco with money and parents, now he knew just how wrong he was.

"About a few months ago, I saw my father arguing with my mother. It wasn't uncommon. But what happened next was." Gray cold eyes met Harry's emerald and Harry could see them crack. "He hit her."

Harry took in a sharp breath.

"He never hit her. But that day, he did. I felt like a useless piece of shit, standing there doing nothing. I wanted to intervene, but I was taught otherwise. So I just stood there." Draco took a shaky breath and continued. "My mother was never the one to dote on me, but she was more approachable than my father and hence I care for her to a certain degree. I saw what that monster had done to my father. He is a hollow shell, and loves nothing more than Power. That day I decided that I did not want to associate myself with him. I did not want to turn into him."

Draco said.

"So you reached out to Severus." Harry said knowingly. He remembered how Severus had once gotten a letter and he had gotten so upset that he had locked himself in his study for a whole day. He had come out for dinner and had apologised to Harry and Harry knew better than to even think that Severus would tell him about it.

"He was the only person I trusted. And I knew from the start that he played for both the sides." Draco shrugged. "I once confronted him, he neither confirmed nor denied."

"And you didn't tell you father?" Harry asked inquisitively.

"Severus had always shown me kindness. Treated me like a son even when I didn't deserve it. He always wanted me to step out of my father's shadows."

They sat in silence for a while. The sky was lightening now. It was almost 5. The birds in the forbidden forest were starting to chirp.

"I'm sorry, Malfoy." Harry offered genuinely. "I never knew."

Draco was shocked at first. He wasn't expecting this from Harry. A snide comment? Yes. A scathing remark? Sure. But an apology? Never in a billion years.

"I'm sorry too." Draco said grudgingly. "You are a pain in the arse but you never deserved what your relatives did to you. Nor the small beating I doled out in the bathroom."

"Wasn't much of a beating." Harry denied. Draco snorted but didn't respond.

"Severus is a good man." Draco said. "You're lucky to have him as your…father."

Harry held his gaze for a few seconds before nodding respectfully.

"I know." He whispered.

"He was always good to me. When I was small, he would come over sometimes. He gave me the attention my father failed to give. He and Sebastian were the only good father figures I had in my life."

" _Have."_ Harry said. Draco frowned at him.

"I'm not taking them away from you, Malfoy." Harry said.

Draco nodded slightly, as of grateful for Harry's actions. He could see the changes in the Slytherin. Draco has changed, and for good.

"My turn, Potter."

"Oh are we still doing it?"

"I like to have the last word." Harry shook his head at the smirk.

"Go on, then."

"What do you _actually_ want, Potter?"

"Wow. Trust issues much?"

"After my whole life story, I'm surprised that you are even asking."

"Maybe I just wanted to know you, Malfoy." Harry said simply. It was partly true.

"I can't digest that." Draco said shook his head.

Harry chuckled.

"Now that you have finally come to your senses," Harry started and promptly ignored the scathing look the blonde shot at him. "How would you like to help us destroy him?"

Harry held his breath as he calmly looked at the boy.

The sky was pink now. The first signs of sun rise were showing. The green canopy of the Forest was freshly covered with morning dew. The birds were flying about, rousing everyone. Harry could hear Hagrid's various animals making noises. The smoke coming from Hagrid's cabin indicated his presence and Harry made a mental note to meet the giant that day. The air was crisp and cold but the boys were accustomed to it by now.

"Help you?" Draco said finally. "Help you how?"

"Yes or no, Malfoy?" Harry asked again, refusing to divulge into any details before Draco confirmed his position. He knew he was being hasty in trusting a person who had been nothing less than horrible to him for the past 6 years, but Severus trusted Draco, and that was enough for Harry.

The blonde bit his side cheek and contemplated the Gryffindor in front of him.

"Does Severus know that you're here?" Draco asked suddenly.

"He was sleeping last I saw him. I'm sure he's awake now and ready to rip me a new one when he finds out that I was wandering around at night." Harry intentionally hid Sebastian's arrival.

Draco leaned forward and offered his hand.

"I got nothing to lose." He said slowly.

Harry looked at the him, and for the first time in his lifetime, he felt some respect for the boy. Going against his own family wasn't an easy thing to do.

Without further ado, Harry gripped his hand firmly.

"Thank you." Harry said.

Draco stared at him for a few seconds, his eyes searching for something that would say that this was all a prank, but he didn't find anything. Harry Potter was genuinely asking for his help. He nodded his head in a grateful gesture before standing up.

"I'll reach out to you." Harry said. "Make yourself available today after dinner."

"I don't take orders from you, Potter." Draco threw over his shoulder and started walking away.

"Oh but you do. I lead this team." Harry called after him.

"Shove it, Potter."

Harry grinned at the retreating figure. He felt good about what he had done today. This truce can help him in the longer run. After a roll of his eyes, Harry concluded that Malfoy wasn't as bad as he showed. He was actually kind of…human.

Harry wanted to stay there and watch the sunrise but he knew that if Sebastian or Severus woke up, he would have to explain a lot of things. He looked at his watch. It read 5:20. If he went now, he could catch at least 2 hours of sleep before he had to wake up again for classes.

He sighed and stood up to stretch.

He downed his invisibility cloak and made his way towards the dungeons. The castle was still eerie and silent. The lamps in the dungeons were forever lit.

He cautiously entered the quarters and saw no one in the living room.

The smell of fresh coffee suddenly hit his nostrils and he groaned internally.

Someone was up.

With no intention to talk to anyone right now, he somehow sneaked into his room and stuffed the cloak under his bed before falling down on the bed to get a small but much needed rest.

 **A/N: Not much action in this chapter. But as they say, it's always calm before the storm.**

 **Stay tuned for more!**


	18. Unexpected Bonds

**A/N: Hey folks! I've written this super long chapter for all of those who stuck with me and this story even after I disappeared for a long time. It's probably the longest chapter I've ever written and I enjoyed writing it. I hope you guys like it too.**

 **Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews! As all the writers say, reviews are what keep us going!**

 **Also, I've totally made up the structure of Ilvermorny. :p**

 **Chapter 18 – Unexpected Bonds**

"Harry, will you _stop_ with the fidgeting and actually try to _eat_ something?" Hermione gave him an annoyed look. Harry swiftly ignored her but shoved a forkful of food into his mouth.

They had a free lecture after Lunch today, and he had decided to tell Severus and Sebastian about Draco. Due to Severus' meeting last night, Albus had told him to take the day off.

The constant absence of the Potions Master hadn't gone unnoticed by the students and they had started making theories of their own; and as much as the theories of his father being a Vampire or any other creature which is ugly and greasy entertained Harry to no end, he had decided to voice his concerns to Albus.

"It's an odd day and time for getting posts, isn't it?" Hermione said. Ron looked up and saw a brown owl making its way over to the table.

"It looks smashed." Ron commented at the state the owl was in. It's wings barely flapped as it flew over to the Gryffindor table and right over Harry's plate. Harry jerked up as the owl fell down and tiredly put its leg up.

"Who would send you a letter at this time?" Ron asked curiously as Harry untied the letter. The boy then dropped a few drops of water in the owl's mouth. Hermione fished some owl treats from her bag and started feeding it while Harry opened the letter.

"Maybe you should give it to Hagrid. It does _not_ look good." Ron said warily as he saw the owl's small tongue fall out.

Harry turned out their talk and frowned at the strange handwriting on the letter.

The slowly opened it and started reading. Just after the first few words, he understood who it was from and relaxed.

"Who's it from?" Ron asked as Hermione carried the owl over to Hagrid.

Harry looked up.

"A friend." He said mysteriously.

Ron blinked. "Okay…I'm waiting for you to elaborate on that."

"Keep waiting, then." Harry said distractedly and read the letter with a small smile.

 _Dear James,_

 _My jealously is soaring above the sky knowing that Koa (My owl) will be flying to Hogwarts. Please let the poor guy have some rest before you send me your answer. America and Scotland aren't exactly a few feet apart. Anyways, I'm sorry to write a letter so abruptly. My dad said Sebastian visited them a few days ago, asking if he would look after the house while the brothers were at Hogwarts. I suddenly missed you and decided to drop you a letter like an uncivilised animal._

Harry chuckled at the words.

 _Hope you're having a blast at school and showing off your amazing quidditch skills. I take immense pleasure in telling you that I won Horned Serpents the finals. We officially won the House Cup!_

 _Now, onto some serious topics, I hope the atmosphere in England is not too bad. I heard about Voldemort and his recent attacks. Fortunately, here in the States, his influence is meagre. But I fear for England. It's my home too. Keep your friends and family safe. Dad and a few other wizards and witches in Woods Town have formed some sort of ridiculous cult where they keep a watch at night. It's rubbish and dangerous, but quite effective. They have captured 3 Death Eaters in the making till now._

 _I imagine Professor Snape is as wonderfully snarky as ever. He's never been the one to joke, but my dad says he's the best man to have your back. I, personally, am a little wary of him. I will tell you the story over coffee. Just promise not to laugh._

 _Charles says Hi, and hopes to see you soon as well. His second year is not proving well for him. He already flunked 4 tests since holidays and our beloved father is_ not _happy. Dad threatened him that he will have Professor Snape tutor him in the summer if he doesn't study. Come to think of it, it will actually be quite funny._

 _Anyways, I've blabbered on long enough._

 _Stay safe James, and take care._

 _Write back to me._

 _Your American Tour Guide,_

 _Harper Wilton_

Harry sighed happily and folded the letter, fully intending to send Koa back with an answer. He looked up and saw Ron and Hermione giving him strange looks.

" _Friend?"_ Ron asked with a sly smile.

Harry blushed and stuffed the letter in his bag.

"Oh come on, Harry! Don't just sit there and be cute. Tell us about her!" Hermione said excitedly.

"There's nothing to tell, she's just a friend!" Harry countered. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Really, Harry. _Just a friend?_ You were blushing so much you were practically as red as a tomato." He exclaimed.

"Really, guys." Harry said and decided to tell them. "Her name is Harper Wilton. She lives in the town near our house." Harry said.

"How old is she?" Hermione asked.

"Our age."

"She doesn't go to Hogwarts?"

"No, she's American." Harry answered. "She goes to Ilvermorny."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh Harry! That is so wonderful! I've heard it has such vast grounds and the school is even bigger than Hogwarts! They even have some kind of river that passes through it."

Harry frowned at her. "Really? Well, Harper worships Hogwarts. 'Visit Hogwarts' is on her bucket list." He chuckled as he remembered their talk.

"Ilvermorny has the best teaching faculty according to the latest report from _Times Wizardly._ Hogwarts is a close second. _"_ Hermione informed them.

Ron huffed. "Nothing beats Hogwarts." He said smugly.

Harry grinned at him as Hermione started telling them about the American school.

"Tell you what Hermione, I'll ask Harper to send you a brochure. Maybe you can see if they take students in the middle of the term." Harry laughed and was instantly attacked with a grape as he stood up with his bag.

"Shut it, Harry." Hermione said hotly.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

"I have some business to take care of." Harry said and the other two instantly understood. "I'll see you in Charms."

He gave them a small wave and went out. His eyes connected with Draco for a moment, who was sitting at the corner of the Slytherin table staring at his untouched plate. The Slytherin just watched as Harry gave him a small nod and went his way.

Harry knew Severus and Sebastian were having lunch in Severus' office, and that's where he intended to go. Dodging Slytherins was now a skill he possessed with great pride. He knew every nook and cranny of the active part of the dungeons and made himself scarce whenever a group walked by. He entered the Potions classroom and heard his father and uncle's voices.

"Hey." He said as he went in.

"Hey Harry!" Sebastian was sitting in Severus' chair while the elder brother was conveniently made to sit on the hard wood chairs that Severus usually kept to intimidate students.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have class?" Severus asked as the boy deposited himself in the chair beside him.

"No." Harry responded. "I have Defense, but as Remus is not here, Dumbledore takes it. And he was busy today, so he cancelled the class."

"I always thoughts cancelled classes were small blessings of Merlin." Sebastian said wistfully.

"You never even properly attended _scheduled_ classes." Severus snorted.

"I had reasons." Sebastian defended himself.

"You were a brat."

Harry snickered at the pouting Sebastian.

"He faked so many injuries and illnesses, goodness knows Madame Pomfrey learned more about Healing due to him than in any medical program." Severus said.

"It required particular amount of skills and proper charms, Harry." Sebastian shifted in his teacher mode.

"Don't teach him any of that." Severus said sharply. "He already had those Weasely Twins."

"You never got caught?" Harry asked in masked awe.

"Nope." Sebastian said proudly.

"Oh really?" Severus smirked. "Remember something about Transfiguration in 3rd year just after the Christmas Break?"

Harry saw Sebastian's smug look fall and he looked at Severus with horror.

"Oh please Sev, don't do this to me." He pleaded. "Let me have my moment with Harry."

"He's as curious as a new born baby, he won't rest until he finds out." Severus said nonchalantly and turned towards Harry. "In 3rd Year, our genius here, faked flu to get out of a Transfiguration test, and Poppy found out about it. She called my father and dad dragged his sorry behind all through the castle right into Minerva's classroom where he sat for the whole duration of the test while my little brother here had to write it."

Harry laughed so hard that he had stitches at his side.

Sebastian covered his face in shame. "I was _thirteen!"_

"You enjoy telling this story way too much." He grumbled as both the father and son laughed hysterically.

"It is a hilarious story." Severus shrugged.

"I agree whole heartedly." Harry said and took deep breaths to calm himself.

The trio talked trivial things for a while before Harry decided to tell them.

"I need to tell you guys something." Harry said and captured their attention.

"I couldn't sleep yesterday night." He started. "So I went out for a walk."

"Harry Ja-" Before Severus could scold him Harry put up his hand.

"Just hear me out, okay? Then you can yell all you want, I swear." He said and was glad when Severus huffed and kept quiet.

"As I was saying, I went for a walk to the top floor in the observation corridor. I ran into Malfoy."

Sebastian leaned forward. He had an inkling of where this was going.

"After you went to the meeting, we talked about the compass which is the next Horcrux." Harry told Severus. "It's in Malfoy Manor. And as Malfoy had surprisingly entered an Anti-Voldemort phase, we thought we could use it to our advantage."

"You mean use _him_." Severus narrowed his eyes.

"Just listen." Harry rolled his eyes. "I spoke with him and we kind of entered a truce and you will be happy to know that he has agreed to help us."

Sebastian gave a ' _whoop'_ and grinned broadly at Harry.

"What do you mean help us? That easily?" Severus asked suspiciously.

"We might have talked and shared some things…" Harry said awkwardly. "But the end result is what matters. He's on our side."

Severus still looked a little skeptical but didn't say anything.

"I told him I will call him after dinner tonight. We need to make a plan." Harry said.

"I spoke with Albus this morning. He said might have something." Sebastian said. "I'm proud of you Harry. I know you and Draco don't go along well, but I'm proud that you set it aside." Harry blushed a little.

"Yeah, he's not that bad." He said dismissively. "He thought he lost you both to me."

Severus' head snapped towards him. "What did you say to him?"

"I didn't say anything! In fact, I told him I'm not keeping you away from him or any other selfish act that he thinks I'm capable of." Harry said and gave Severus an odd look.

"He's in a rough place." Severus said and looked at Sebastian. "Doesn't know what to do. He's confused."

"He didn't sound so confused yesterday." Harry said. "He said he didn't want anything to do with his father."

"He told you about his mother and how he…" Severus trailed off.

Harry nodded. "He did. I was shocked at first too, I mean I did try to pry it out of him, but I didn't think he would actually start talking, but he did."

Sebastian and Severus shared a look that Harry couldn't decipher. He decided to let it go.

"Anyways, where do I tell him to meet us?" Harry asked as he picked up his book bag.

"Our quarters. But don't worry about it. I'll talk to him." Severus said. "If someone sees you having a civilized conversation with him, people might start having heart attacks."

Harry gave him a ' _You're not funny'_ look before stood up.

"Oh, Harper wrote to me today." He said casually.

Sebastian and Severus wore similar smirks as they looked at him.

"Get your mind out of the gutter." Harry shook his head. "She just said to keep safe. I was thinking if I could tell her about me. She's a good friend, and I feel guilty that she thinks I'm some James Martin in Slytherin rather than Harry Potter."

"Yeah, you don't want to start a relationship on a lie." Sebastian nodded knowingly. "Believe me. When Carol found out I wasn't really a pilot, it wasn't pleasant for me."

"Who's Carol?" Harry asked and Severus rubbed his forehead in resignation.

"She was my muggle friend with benefits. You know the kind of friend who-" Before his brother could continue, Severus interrupted him.

"As _riveting_ , and might I add disturbing, as that story is, I don't think Harry should hear it. But, all set aside, agree with Sebastian."

"I'm not starting a relationship with anyone! It was mistake to tell you guys." Harry muttered exasperatedly and promptly stalked away as the two brothers laughed.

/`

Harry raced down the dungeons after dinner. He and Seamus had gotten into an argument about their two favourite types of desserts and Harry had lost track of time. Even though Hermione had instantly declared it a ridiculous waste of time, Harry had felt the need to defend Treacle Tart against Seamus' Shrewsbury Cake. He panted as the door to the quarters came into his view and he quickly touched it and burst inside.

The four pair of eyes instantly looked at him.

"Sorry…" He panted. "I…um...got …caught up." Sebastian grinned at him while Dumbledore smiled. Draco gave him a curious look and Severus rolled his eyes before conjuring a bottle of water for him.

"Drink before you pass out." He said and pulled the boy beside him on the couch.

As Harry sipped his water and everyone else sipped tea, Albus started talking.

"Draco, first of all I would like to tell you how extremely glad I am that you chose to work with us." He gave him a smile which Draco didn't return. Harry watched as the boy sat rigidly in the armchair beside Sebastian. "As I already filled you in, Voldemort-" Draco winced. "- has Horcruxes that we need to destroy. We have destroyed a few and are now left with three."

Harry looked at Severus who clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. Draco must have noticed the tension too.

"Which three?" He asked curiously.

Albus then slowly explained everything to him. He told him about the compass, Nagini and Harry himself. When his name was mentioned, Draco gave Harry a shocked look. Harry quickly stood up and went into the kitchen to get himself some tea. He didn't want to listen as Dumbledore told the boy Harry's death story.

He came out after a few minutes and sat down with his cup.

"So Draco, we are currently after the compass." Sebastian took over. "It's said to be in Malfoy Manor." He handed the boy the drawing. "Have you ever seen this?"

Draco looked at the compass with scrutiny. Even if he did recognize it, he didn't show it.

"You want me to get it." He said and looked up.

"We can't possibly go and take it." Severus said. "You're our only chance."

Draco looked at Harry who gave him a tight smile.

"Draco? Have you seen it anywhere?" Albus asked him again.

The blonde looked at the drawing again before nodding slowly.

"Father keeps it in his study. There's a box of antiques that he guards with all kinds of dark spells. He showed the compass to me when I was 14." He said softly and put the paper on the table. His hands were shaking and he fisted them to hide it.

"Draco." Severus said in a gentle tone and the boy looked at him. "It's okay if you don't want to be a part of this." Harry felt a pang of jealousy as he watched his adoptive father interact with his former archenemy in that manner. But he berated himself for it.

 _He's his Godfather, Harry! He's known him since birth._

He shook his head and got rid of the thoughts, for now.

Draco seemed to think for a while before speaking up.

"I'll do it, Severus." He said. "I am the only one who knows where the box is."

Severus gave him one of his rare smiles that he gave Harry and Sebastian patted Draco's back. Harry bit his lip so hard that he tasted blood.

Wasn't he the one who said that he won't keep Draco away from Severus and Sebastian? Then why was he acting like this. He felt someone's gaze on him and he looked at Albus' blue eyes. The old man was looking at him as if he understood everything that was going on in Harry's mind and knowing Dumbledore, Harry wouldn't put it past him. He brought up his Occlumency shield in a pathetic way of defending himself before concentrating on the conversation.

"But how do I go to the Manor without erupting suspicions?" Draco asked. "The school's still in session."

Everyone looked at Dumbledore who gave them an innocent look.

"I presume you have a plan?" Severus asked him.

"When do I not?" Albus said and smiled.

/

Albus wasn't surprised when Lucius Malfoy gracefully popped out of his fireplace in his office. The man stalked over to his table with his head held high. His majestic blue robes flowed behind him and his ever-present cane swung back and forth as he walked.

"Ah, Lucius, what a nice surprise." Albus said with a welcoming smile.

"Albus." Lucius nodded his head.

"Can I offer you some Lemon Drops?" Albus held up his bowl. Lucius looked at it distastefully and shook his head sharply. Albus shrugged and ate one himself.

"I am not here on a social call, Dumbledore." Lucius said coldly.

Albus pretended to look offended.

"What can I do for you?"

"I wish to take Draco home for a day." He said. "He will be back on Sunday morning."

"And may I ask the reason?" Albus raised an eyebrow.

"You may, but I shall not reveal the reason." Lucius said. "It's a family matter."

"Oh." Albus said and sat up. "Did someone pass away?"

"No."

"Did-"

"I might have failed to mention this, but I am in a hurry." Lucius literally growled at the old man who seemed quite unfazed by his anger.  
"Of course." Albus said slowly wrote out a note. He then proceeded to fold it in a very precise manner, enjoying the blonde man's impatient mutterings.

"Well, I've sent the note to Severus. I'm sure he will be here with Draco soon." Albus informed him. "Would you care for some tea?"

"No, thank you." However much Lucius detested his company, his manners never wavered.

"So tell me Lucius, how is work?" Albus asked as if talking about the weather.

"It is fine." Came the short reply.

"And how is Narcissa?"

"Fine as well." Anyone watching could tell that Albus was having a gala time making the man wait and pulling him into a social conversation.

Lucius visibly gave a sigh of relief as the door opened and Severus came inside with Draco not far behind him.

"Lucius." Severus shook the man's hand.

"Severus." Lucius gave him a small smirk.

"Father." Draco nodded solemnly and quickly went over to stand beside him.

"Well, we must leave." Lucius said and steered the boy towards the floo.

"Have a good weekend, boys!" Albus said jovially as Draco first flooed and then Lucius went without so much as a word.

As soon as the flame died down, Severus gave Albus an exasperated look.

"Really _?"_ He asked. " _Boys?"_

Albus chuckled and watched as Sebastian revealed himself from where he was hidden behind the door which led to Albus' private quarters. He had charmed the door so that it showed what was happening outside but didn't reveal anything on the inside.

"I got quite the kick out of that exchange, Albus." He grinned and sat down.

"Did Harry make it?" Severus asked.

"Yes." Sebastian said.

The plan was simple.

Draco had written to his father saying that he had some extremely important news regarding Dumbledore's plans of destroying the horcruxes. A few hours later, sure enough, Lucius had replied that he would be at the school the next day to retrieve him. The next part was where Severus had disagreed. Harry was supposed to go to the Malfoy Manor with Draco under his Invisibility cloak. Severus had argued that it was dangerous and quite unnecessary. To which, the other two had countered that Draco needed backup and also they needed to keep an eye on him as he was still new to their 'team'. Plus, Harry was the only one who could feel the Horcruxes and was far better at spell detection than Draco.

Harry's invisibility cloak was the only solution as any other charms would be revealed as soon they entered the Malfoy Manor. Harry was the only one who could fit properly under the cloak due to his skinny frame. And hence, it was decided that Harry would stay in the fireplace and would floo away with Draco. Albus had stuck the cloak to him so that it couldn't be accioed or accidentally fall down.

Draco had been quite dubious with the plan but in the end looked as if he was relieved to have someone there with him. And now, here they were, standing in Albus' office.

"You think it will work?" Severus asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, Severus, for the love of Merlin stop frying my brain with the same question." Sebastian said irritably. "Trust Harry."

"I do trust Harry." Severus said defensively. "It's the house and it's occupants that I don't trust."

"Severus, it will be fine. Both the boys will return properly tomorrow morning." Albus said calmingly. He could understand Severus' feelings. "Why don't we all have some tea and pour over these books that my friend from Ireland so graciously sent me?" The research about how to remove Harry's Horcrux from his body was going on in full force. Albus had read 25 books and had talked to almost 100 people and portraits in the past 3 days.

Severus grudgingly agreed to the suggestion and watched as Albus called a house elf.

/

Harry wanted to cough so bad as soon as they stopped spinning and came to a halt. He put his hand in his mouth to stop himself.

"Potter?" Draco asked softly.

"I'm here." Harry said and moved out of the fireplace's way as Lucius Malfoy came out. He stood behind Draco and looked around the room as Lucius sat down in a chair and motioned for Draco to do the same.

The room looked like Malfoy Sr.'s study. It was as big as Harry's room back at Severus' house. The huge Mahogany table bore the weight of many papers and books which were organized in a proper order.

Harry's eyes next caught a shelf behind the table. It was filled with trinkets and other small antiques that Lucius had seemed to like. Harry watched as the father and son talked about school and other things.

Even though the talk was casually, there was strain between them, a kind of formality that shouldn't exist between a father and a son. Severus had always made it a point to pull down all his cold exterior whenever he spoke with Harry. Harry could imagine himself and Severus having the same talk but with a lot more familiarity between them rather than such an icy wall.

He felt a twinge of sympathy for Draco. He wandered over to Lucius and was brave enough to read the papers over the man's shoulder. The content was all about his work, nothing to implicate any indication about Voldemort.

Harry's caught a small photo frame on the table. It was definitely Lucius in it. What surprised Harry the most was a small boy of about 5 years grinning at his father as he held the toy broom in his hand. A younger Lucius was smiling proudly as the boy tried to mount it and failed, in the end, Lucius helped him up. The picture played repeatedly and Harry watched it in a trance. Maybe Lucius wasn't like this before, he thought.

He was pulled out of his stupor by Draco standing up. He quickly made his way over to the boy and followed him as Draco followed his father out of the room. As soon as Harry stepped out, his scar suddenly burned and he couldn't help the small gasp that escaped his mouth.

Lucius must have heard it as well because he suddenly turned around. Fortunately, Draco had enough brains to suddenly hop on one leg and contort his face in a grimace.

"Stubbed my toe." He said in a strained voice. Lucius rolled his eyes and started walking again.

"We will talk after dinner. And meet your mother before that." He threw over his shoulder and disappeared down the hall.  
Draco quickly groped around in the air until he felt Harry's hand and grabbed it before rushing over to a grand staircase. Harry was still in a daze. His scar was on fire but his Occlumency shields were up. He let Draco lead him to a room and he sat down on a huge bed.

Draco locked the door and put up all kinds of privacy spells on the door while Harry concentrated on his Occlumency. No one ever came inside his room without his permission, but Draco didn't want to take any risks.

"You trying to get killed, Potter?" He said angrily and stood before the small dip in his bed where he knew Harry was sitting. Harry undid the sticking charm on his cloak and ripped it off of him.

Draco hissed as he saw the angry red scar.

"He's here." Harry said shakily.

"Don't say his name here." Draco mumbled and sat in his desk chair. "There are spells all over the house, who knows if his name might trigger anything."

Harry nodded and pressed his palm over his head.

Draco looked at him for a second before walking into his bathroom and coming out with a jar. He handed it to Harry.

"Severus made sure my medical cabinet was always stocked." Draco said and Harry snorted as he opened the Cooling salve.

"That is a _very_ Severus thing." He said and the boys chuckled before Draco froze.

 _Did he just share a laugh with Harry Potter?'_

"Yes, you just joked with me, do you want me to check if you're dead yet?" Harry said faked concern. Draco gave him a small glare in return.

After Harry was done applying the salve, he put the jar on the night stand and for the first time, actually looked around the room. It was more of a grand suite.

The king size bed he was sitting on was situated in the middle of the room. A floor length curtain was draped on its left side where Harry assumed were the windows. A Slytherin banner was stuck above the bed. On the right side of the bed was a huge oak table with matching chair. Draco's school supplies and other things were kept on that. A fireplace was situated almost 20 feet away from the foot of the bed and a sofa set was arranged in front of it.

A tall bookshelf was lined around the fireplace and a few toys and papers were put on display as well. Other than the overly royal interior, the room was pretty bare. A small space was carved beside Draco's study table which had two doors on its either side. Harry assumed it was the bathroom and his closet.

"Your room is impressive, Your Majesty. Where do you keep your crown?" Harry teased and Draco rolled his eyes, but the Gryffindor could see that he still sported a look of pride.

"So, when do we sneak in father's study?" He asked as Harry explored the books on his shelf.

"Tonight." Harry responded. He then turned around and looked at Draco. "You sure you know where it is?"

"Yes." Draco said. "I've seen him use the box for other purposes a hundred times."

"Good." Harry nodded. "Because we need to get in and out of there in as little time as possible. With Vo- _Him_ here, we can't take any chances. You have any idea where he would be?"

"The parlor." Draco shrugged. "I'm surprised he hasn't detected you yet."

Harry was wondering the same thing. Knowing Voldemort, he was sure to be paranoid. Harry was confused as to why there weren't any spells to detect unwanted visitors.

"Maybe he wasn't expecting anything like this." Harry said.

Draco nodded and sighed deeply. He had abandoned his place at the table and was sitting on the sofa now, his legs propped up on the small coffee table.

Harry too sat down opposite to him on an armchair and regarded the blonde in front of him.

"Are you having second thoughts?" He asked carefully.

"What? No." Draco said and gazed in the fireplace.

"Is it your father?"

"Potter, if I wanted to speak with a mind healer, I would have made an appointment at St Mungo's." Draco said snappily. Harry raised his hands in a surrender.

"He has quite an extensive collection of antiques." Harry said conversationally.

"Yes, he likes to keep something from his trips all over the world."

They sat in silence for a while before Draco stood up.

"I must meet my mother." He said and dusted off his robes. "Stay here." He enunciated every word. "Do not, under any circumstances, open that door." He said.

"I won't." Harry said.

"I'm serious, Potter. I know you like to _adapt_ to your environment by roaming around like a puppy." Harry looked a little offended at that. "But I beg of you, stay here. I will be back soon."

Draco gave him one last look and went out. Just for his own peace of mind, he locked the door from outside.

Harry fell into a light doze after Draco exited. He wasn't getting much sleep these days. His sleep was plagued with nightmares from his time at the Dursleys, and after he was told that he was a Horcrux, his anxiety shooed away any kind of activity which made him relax.

He felt guilty when he remembered how he had resorted to his old ways of stress relieving the other day. Just after mutilating his hand twice, his mind had instantly snapped back to reality and he had regretted his actions. Due to Harry's constant nags, Severus had lifted his charm which alerted him whenever Harry harmed himself. At first, Harry was determined that he would go to Severus and come clean, but the look of disappointment that was sure to follow drained his courage and he kept it to himself.

The door opened and Draco returned after 20 minutes.

"Hey." Harry said as he stretched. "How did it go?"

"She's fine. She sleeps in another room after…you know. He leaves her alone for most of the time, only converses regarding important matters." Draco said and sprawled on the sofa. It was quite an amusing sight for Harry to see such a sophisticated person like Draco to literally _fall_ on a sofa.

"So, how are you holding up?" Draco asked suddenly.

"What's wrong with me?" Harry tried to downplay any subject regarding him.

"Come on, Potter. A _Horcrux_? You're basically like a felon with an execution date."

"Thank you, for putting it like that." Harry said sardonically. "And I'm fine."

"Your hero complex knows no bounds." Draco commented airily.

"Well I don't have a choice, do I?" Harry hissed through his teeth.

"You believe they will find a way?" Draco asked after a minute. Harry looked at him and for a second and Draco swore he saw fear in those emerald eyes.

"I don't know." Harry said genuinely. He wasn't keeping his hopes up.

Silence lapsed between them again. But it wasn't the uncomfortable one that they usually sat in, there was a kind of understanding between them now.

"Your friends know that you changed sides?"

Draco scoffed at him. "I don't wish to sign my death warrant, Potter. I tell any one of them and my father will hear about it in minutes and I will die in a matter of hours."

"So you don't trust them?"

Draco looked away. It was true. He didn't trust any of his friends.

"I have to stay with them for father's sake." He said.

"Goodness Malfoy, do you have _any_ real friends?" Harry was shocked.

"Depends on what you mean by real." Draco said.

Harry didn't trust himself to speak, so he shut up.

"If you want to…talk to someone anytime, I…uh…" Harry awkwardly tried to put together some words.

"You saying you're my friend now, Potter?" Draco smirked.

"You're not that bad, Malfoy." Harry said.

"Thanks, Potter. You're tolerable yourself." Harry snorted at him.

A sharp knock on the door made both of them jump from their positions. Harry quickly rushed to put on his cloak while Draco stood near the door, ready to open it as soon as Harry disappeared. He saw Harry give him a nod from beside his table before becoming invisible, and opened the door.

"Master Draco."

Draco sighed in relief as he saw their House elf, Gus. After he had hit puberty, Draco had begged his father to put a spell on his room which restricted the elves to directly pop in in his room.

"What?"

"Master Lucius sent me to tell you that dinner will be served in your room in a few minutes." The house elf wrung its hands nervously. "He wishes to see you in his office at 8."

Draco gave an aristocratic nod to the elf and slammed the door on his face.

"You know, it doesn't hurt to show them a little care." Harry said as he took off his cloak.

"I know." Draco said as if asking him ' _So?'._

Harry shook his head before taking his place on the armchair again, this time, keeping his cloak on his lap. He leaned back and closed his eyes again.

"You look like shit, Potter." Draco observed. When Harry didn't reply, Draco thought the boy had nodded off or was simply ignoring him.

"I haven't been sleeping well." Harry confessed softly.

"Really? I thought you got those dark circles and that haunted expression because you failed to apply your usual contour." Harry gave him the finger with his eyes still closed.

"Severus was worried about you." Draco said as he stood up to perused his bookshelf.

"What gave you that idea?"

"He was talking about you with Sebastian."

Harry opened his eyes at that. "What did he say?"

"They stopped talking when they noticed me standing there."

"You have access to the quarters?" Harry frowned.

"Of course I do." Draco took out a book and flipped through it carelessly.

Harry nodded to himself before sighing.

"Nightmares?"

"Malfoy, if I wanted to talk to a Mind Healer, I would go to St Mungo's." Harry repeated in an imitation of Draco's voice.

"Well, fair enough." Draco shrugged as he stalked over to the sofa. He had no idea how Harry was coping with all the stress. Even though he reminded himself over and over that he didn't care, somewhere deep down, he had started to respect the raven-haired boy.

The duo sat there, with Harry sleeping lightly and Draco reading a book. The dinner tray popped on the table and Harry jerked up with his wand in his hand.  
"Down, boy." Draco raised an eyebrow at him.

Harry calmed his racing heart and ran a hand through his hair. He gave the tray a skeptical look.

"You do know that is at least 3 days' worth of food." Harry pointed out.

"To educate your uncultured self, I will have you know that this is how people of high class dine, Potter." Draco said as he uncovered the platters.

Harry found himself not feeling offended.

"Why do you need so much cutlery? Just a fork and a knife is enough."

Draco rolled his eyes gave up.

"I'm not arguing with you about this." He said and took his plate and started eating. He figured Harry would make transfigure something for himself. But when the boy didn't, Draco gave him a questioning glance.

"They don't poison it." He said in what he considered a reassuring tone.

Harry barked a laugh at that.

"I'm not hungry, you go ahead." Draco regarded him for a second before giving his attention to his food.

Harry, in reality, was nervous. Lack of sleep, and the constant pain in his head due to the close proximity of Voldemort wasn't making it any easy for him. Although he was occluding, his scar was still tender and painful, and that pain had now transformed into a headache.

"You have any Headache Remedy in your cabinet?" Harry asked.

"It's labelled." Draco nodded.

Harry went to retrieve it and felt better after one dose of the potion.

Soon 8 'o' clock rolled around and Draco regretted having such a heavy dinner.

"It will be fine." Harry consoled him.

"What if he sees through the lie?" Draco paced.

"Well, it's technically not a lie." Harry said. "Someone _is_ helping me with the Horcruxes. And it _is_ a Snape. The only lie that you have to tell is that it's not Severus who is helping me, It's Sebastian."

When Draco didn't answer, Harry sighed and sat at the edge of his seat.

"Look, all you need to do is look confident and tell you father that Dumbledore has assigned Sebastian to help me destroy his Horcruxes. They will know you are not lying because the Horcruxes are not made public. So, the only way you would know about them, is from eavesdropping."

"You think he will believe me? What if the Dark Lord decides to punish Severus?" Draco paused to look at him.

"Well, Vol- _He_ thinks that Severus and Sebastian absolutely hate each other." Harry started. "Even if he does summon Severus, I'm sure he can manage. You need to hold up your act, Draco."

Draco nodded and stopped in mid stride.

" _Draco?"_ He asked incredulously.

"Do you prefer Dragon?" Harry asked with an excessively sweet smile.

Draco ignored him and brushed off his robes. He had changed into somewhat more formal robes, although Harry had failed to notice any difference.

"I don't get you people." Harry had said. "Walking around in such expensive robes all over the house just to meet your father."

"I'm sure you are naked when you barge into Severus' study like an animal." Draco had retorted. Harry had agreed that it was partly true. He sometimes didn't wear his shirt when he went into Severus' lab which usually resulted in a short lecture in dangers of ' _Nakedness in potions lab'_.

"Alright, stay-"

"Stay here, yada yada yada." Harry rolled his eyes. "Malfoy, I am already going to die, I am not about to hasten the process by venturing out."

"Good call." Draco said and stepped out, locking the door.

Harry absentmindedly fingered the pendant Severus had gifted him on Christmas. It was charmed to blend with his skin, and its heavy weight on his chest was comforting. Severus had expressly told him to use it if he sensed even a little bit of danger.

Harry whiled away his time reading the book Draco had picked up and rummaging around the Slytherin's desk. It was almost after two house that the door opened.

Harry clutched his cloak but was relived to find Draco coming in. He looked pale. Paler than usual.

"How did it go?" Harry asked. "Did he buy it?"

Draco put up a hand and shakily took off his outer robes.

" _He_ was there." Draco said as he sat down on the bed. Harry dragged the chair over to him and sat down.

"What happened?" Harry asked again and leaned his elbows on his knees as Draco ran a hand through his hair.

"They were conversing when I went. After I was told to sit down, I told them everything." Draco said. "Thank god Dumbledore made me learn the whole story. Dark Lord asked me precisely what I was doing and where I was when I got the news." Draco shuddered as he remembered the hissing voice.

"What did he say?"

"He asked me if Severus knew about this." Draco said. "I told him he doesn't. Made sure to paint Severus as a loyal arse kisser."

The boys looked at one another before laughing out loud.

"I can get the picture."

"You are so gross, Potter."

"Is he going to summon Severus?" Draco shrugged at his query.

"He might, he might not."

Harry considered taking a look into Voldemort's mind and seeing what he was thinking. But after Severus' reprimand the day before, he was skeptical in the use of his newfound ability. Plus, with Draco there, he couldn't risk giving away their plan. Draco was collateral.

"Okay." Harry sighed. "So everything is going according to the plan."

"Yes. He scoured my mind to see if I was lying." Draco said.

"Bless Merlin for Occlumency, huh?"

Draco threw him a smirk.

/

"Alright, inform me the _minute_ he lands in there." Sebastian rolled his eyes as Severus spoke with Lola regarding Harry landing in the Snape Villa.

Albus just kept on with his reading. He knew the paranoia Severus was feeling right now. He himself felt it whenever Severus went to a Death Eater meeting.

"Sev, you might want to tone down the scowl a bit." Sebastian said.

"Read your book." Severus said snidely.

"I am. And I am asking you to tone it down because I might have something."

Severus and Albus' head jerked towards him as Sebastian put the book on the table.

"Here, read this."

 _Exponentia Mortuorem_

 _Developed by Healer Jeremiah Jacoby during the 1830's. This spell allows the caster to call forward the parasite residing in the person at the other end of the chant. Healer Jacoby's muggle wife was diagnosed with cancer during their early years of marriage. To kill the disease, Healer Jacoby invented the spell. The details of the spell are currently unknown, but the sources indicate that the spell worked and Mrs. Jacoby was restored to full health._

"This is good." Albus said as he read it again. "This is very good, Sebastian."

"What about the details that are unknown? And _Exponentia Mortuorem?_ It literally means the Spell of the Dead." Severus said dubiously.

"We need to search more." Albus said as he rummaged around his desk. "There must be something on this Spell."

"Hold on." Sebastian said and turned towards Severus as Albus continued his activities. " _Jacoby?_ Like _our_ Frank _Jacoby?"_

Severus' eyes widened. Their personal Healer, who had looked over Harry when he was put under Severus' care, shared the same last name.

Now, it was quite possible for them to be entirely unrelated. But in wizarding world, the pureblooded families were not less in number.

"We need to speak with him." Severus said and both the brothers looked at Dumbledore, not explicitly wanting to tell him that they were abandoning him to go through more 20 books which were scattered around.

"Why don't you two go ahead and do that while I complete this?" Albus said and chuckled as the two men literally ran out through the floo.

Two hours later, when the brothers returned, they were surprised to find Albus' desk more reorganized. All the unwanted books were sent away, but there was still a small pile beside his desk.

"Albus?" Sebastian called him. The door which led to Albus' private quarters opened and Albus stepped out.

"Ah, boys. What did you find?" He asked and settled himself in his chair as the other two occupied the others.

"Frank's grandfather's uncle." Severus said and took out his notes.

"You should have seen him, Albus. Asking questions and taking notes as if he was investigating a murder." Sebastian said as Severus shot him a dark look.

"We need to make some modifications in the spell, maybe add a potion to counter the side effects." Severus slid the notes over to Albus. "The spell was made to take out muggle cancer, its power as whole is not sufficient enough to bring forth the Horcrux. However," Severus produced a few more small papers. "there was a case in which it was used on a wizard to extract some kind of dark curse."

"And what happened to him?" Albus asked curiously.

"He died." Sebastian took over. "The spell is useless to us without modifications, Albus, and we don't know how much time we have before Voldemort learns of this information."

"Maybe we should have revealed it to him, it would have bought us time. He can't possibly kill Harry if he knew Harry was a Horcrux." Severus wondered out loud.

"Severus," Albus' starry blue gaze shifted to him. "how long have you known Voldemort?"

"Since I was 19." Came the reply.

"And in all these years, have you ever seen him spare anything which causes him threat?"

"No." Severus said and looked away.

"He wouldn't care if Harry was a Horcrux or not, he would kill him regardless of this piece of information." Albus said. "Now, I would like to share something with you both. And Sebastian, this spell is not useless."

Albus cleared his throat before continuing.

"For this spell to work in our case, we will need to increase its power. I'm sure you both have heard of _Potentia est potentia,_ a resident of extreme dark arts which even the Death Eaters are afraid to use. But one, such as myself, who can control it properly, can use it. Now, the Horcrux in Harry has attached itself to his magical core. After we perform the spell, it will detach itself for a moment and that is our cue to take it out."

Sebastian was listening intently while Severus' eyes widened in realization.

"Albus, to access the magical core of a person, the person needs to be-"

"-dead." Sebastian completed.

Albus nodded solemnly.

"This is our only chance. When a person dies, his magical core burns for a few hours before distinguishing into nothingness. That is when we can take it out." he said softly.

" _Kill_ Harrytemporarily _?_ How in the whole seven hells can we manage that? Draught of Living Death?"

"It doesn't actually _kill_ the person, you imbecile." Severus said, as if chastising a dunderhead student.

"I'm afraid I do not have the answer to that question." Albus said sadly.

"How sure are we that this will work?" Severus asked him.

"I do not know that either, Severus."

The three men sighed and looked warily at each other.

"So we are still at loss as to what to do." Severus said and ran a hand through his hair.

"Maybe we should rest for a while." Albus suggested. "The boys will be here before breakfast, and I'm sure you both would like to be here when they do."

Sebastian nodded and after five minutes, he was dragging a reluctant Severus towards the floo.

/

Even after six years of being in the proximity of ghosts at Hogwarts, Harry was still afraid that the corridors in the Malfoy Manor were haunted and half expected a zombie Death Eater to pop out of any one of the numerous doors.

He looked at Draco who was walking beside him in the Invisibility cloak. The boy was relaxed on the outside but Harry could see his fear in his gray eyes. The sticking charm that the boys had used to glue themselves together so as to keep both of them in the cloak, was proving to be a mistake as Harry stumbled for the fourth time.

"Left right left, Malfoy." He hissed in the blonde's ear.

"Not my problem you have a disharmonized body, Potter." Draco hissed back.

It was 2:30 in the morning and Draco was extremely sure that all the occupants in the house were asleep. They didn't have any confirmation on Voldemort, but they decided to take the risk. Harry was dubious to follow Draco, but seeing no choice, he had to let the boy take the point.

They reached Lucius' study and Draco carefully rubbed his hand at a spot below the door knob. The distinct click of the lock opening was pretty victorious to Harry and he glanced at Draco who looked like his heart might jump out of his chest and run away.

"Scared, Malfoy?"

"You wish, Potter." Draco said and in a show of bravado, opened the door with a little extra force than necessary.

They quickly stepped in were soon free of each other. Draco was about to turn on the light when Harry stopped him.

"Are you stupid? Someone will notice the light from under the door instantly." Harry said and cast a quick _Lumos._ Dumbledore had cleverly put a charm on his and Draco's wand so that no one can detect any magic done by them.

"Well then, let's get this over with." Harry said and followed Draco over to the table where Draco proceeded to kneel down and chant some spells.

The drawer rattled softly before glowing white and Harry was relieved to find that the Slytherin knew what he was doing. He tapped his foot on the floor in impatience. As much as he liked such an adventure, he preferred staying home, closer to his father. Especially now that his life was cut short, he realized that he would like to spend the time with loved ones. His heart gave a painful squeeze when he thought of Ron and Hermione. They were still in the dark. Harry knew he had to tell them, but he was scared of their reactions.

"Okay, Potter." Draco's voice brought him out of his musings. "This is the box. Do your thing."

A wooden box with _'L A M'_ carved beautifully on it gazed at him from the drawer.

"Nice work, Malfoy." Harry said and cast his own spells on the box to see if there were any trick spells on it. He found almost 20. He sighed and Draco looked at him expectantly.

"This is going to take a while." Harry said. Even though the spells were easy to counter, they required time. He could feel the Horcrux inside it though. His scar was pulsing with dark energy.

"We don't have a _while._ " Draco whispered. "How much time?"

"10 minutes." Harry said and started countering the curses like Severus had taught him to. There were at least 6 which would have raised an alarm and almost 8 which would kill them instantly.

"Make it 5." Draco said and stood up. His eyes caught the picture Harry had seen on Lucius' desk and he gulped before looking away.

"No pressure, huh?" Harry rolled his eyes.

"Father must have increased the protection charms on the Dark Lord's say." Draco said as purple bands shot out of Harry's wand and engulfed the box.

Precisely after 7 minutes, Harry took a deep breath and sat back on his heels. The energy required to counter the spells had taken a lot out of him. He wiped his sweaty forehead on his shirt and touched the box. Feeling no more booby trap spells lingering on it, Harry gently pushed it open.

Just as he saw the compass laying on top of numerous other thing, Draco heard the soft footsteps echoing outside. His eyes widened and he gave Harry a panicked look.

Harry quickly snatched the compass and shut the box and the drawer. A red light glowed for a second and he knew that the spells were put up again. He grabbed Draco's arm and extinguished his wand. He draped the invisibility cloak on them and pushed them towards a corner which was not too far away from the desk. Without the sticking charm, Harry had to put an arm around the boy's shoulder and hold him close while Draco had to literally stick to Harry's side so that they won't be discovered. The door gave a soft click and Lucius entered.

Draco's breathing was hard and Harry put his hand over his mouth to stop the boy from giving away their place.

Lucius strode to his desk and sat down heavily in his chair. He pulled some of his papers towards him and stated working. Harry hoped to god the man left soon. His body was cramping already.

The door opened again and Harry bit his lip from crying as Voldemort entered. His scar burned fiercely as the man sauntered over to one of the chairs in front of Lucius and sat down. He still looked at same in his gray robes and bald head.

' _I see the nose hasn't grown still.'_ Harry thought dryly.

Lucius bowed his head at him before keeping his work away.

"My Lord, have you trouble sleeping?"

"I could ask you the same, Lucius." Voldemort's voice hissed.

"Draco's news has unsettled me a little, My Lord." Lucius confessed.

"Sebastian Snape was always a fool." Voldemort said as if it was a fact. "It doesn't surprise me that he has Dumbledore's confidence to aid Harry."

Harry almost vomited when he heard his name being said from such a vile mouth.

"Severus should have known." Lucius said. Harry and Draco both felt a spark of anger as the man tried to make Voldemort angry at Severus.

"Again, I'm not surprised that he doesn't." Voldemort said airily. "He hates his brother. And according to Severus' memories, Dumbledore suspects Severus. He would be the last person Dumbledore would tell about this."

"But still My-"

"Rest assured that I will be having a word with Severus." Voldemort said and stood up. Harry could see the malicious glint in Lucius' eyes. "But not because you tried to paint him as a traitor. Shame on you, Lucius." He said and walked towards the door. His eyes swept the room before he exited and Harry and Draco stiffened as his red eyes fell on the corner. But he didn't linger, and went out with a frown.

Lucius' red embarrassed face entertained Harry for a minute before he started wishing again that the man would just get up and go to bed.  
Beside him, Draco also had similar thoughts. Constantly ribbing into the Gryffindor to stay hidden was not a pleasant position. Finally, after half an hour, Lucius stood up and stretched.

He held a paper in his hands and waved his wand over it. The parchment disappeared and Lucius extinguished the lights before leaving the room.

Harry and Draco sighed in relief and quickly scrambled to get free air. Harry winced as he heard his neck and back pop unpleasantly.

" _Don't worry, he sleeps at 12:30 meticulously."_ Harry said as he mimicked Draco's voice.

"He does!" Draco defended himself. "How am I to know if he changed his plans?"

Harry didn't answer but closed his eyes to calm his mind. Seeing Voldemort in such close proximity and unable to do anything had done its number on him.

"We need to get out of here." Draco said. " _Now_."

Harry nodded and opened one end of the cloak for the boy to come. Draco looked at Harry's half invisible figure and scrunched up his nose. Harry rolled his eyes.

"We just cuddled, Malfoy." He snapped. "Get in here before I leave you to fend for yourself."

Draco quickly got in the cloak and the boys made their way to his room.

"I need sleep." Draco said as soon as the door to his room closed behind him. He fell down on the bed and threw his shoes down. Harry just gave him a look and picked up the note that was sitting on the table.

"What does it say?" Draco asked.

" _Draco, I won't be there tomorrow when you leave for Hogwarts again. Your information was useful. You may return to the school through the floo network in my study._ " Harry read. "Lucius Malfoy."

Draco's face fell and he turned on his bed so that back was to Harry. Harry put the note back and looked at his watch.

 _3:45 am_

"We leave before breakfast." Harry said and Draco responded with his hand flicking and the lights dimming. Harry went over to the comfortable looking sofa and laid down on it. He took out the compass from his robe pocket and examined it. The dark energy inside it pulsed with his heartbeat and Harry felt himself being pulled towards it. He suddenly remembered what had happened with the previous Horcrux and quickly put the compass back in his pocket. The soft warm glow of the fire was comforting. His exhausted body and mind finally dragged him into a deep slumber.

/

Severus and Sebastian were sitting in the armchair sipping tea when Draco stepped out of the fireplace with a smug expression in place. It didn't last long though, as he suddenly stumbled forward and had to balance himself on the mantle from falling down face first.

"Potter! When is it that you are going to learn to step out of the floo like a cultured wizard?" Draco said snappishly as Harry took off his cloak.

"About the same time you start respecting the house elves." Harry said as the two men rushed to them.

"How did it go?"

"Are you alright?"

"What-"

"I believe we should let them sit first." Albus' voice came from behind them.

Harry and Draco gave him a grateful look and sat down in the conjured chairs.

"We got it." Harry said and took out the compass. He handed it to Dumbledore and sighed as he felt the load of energy leave his body and his magic could breathe freely again.

"Are you up for reciting the precise events?" Albus asked. Draco and Harry looked at each other and shrugged before giving the men a detailed description of what happened.

"He will definitely call Severus." Sebastian said and shot his brother a worried look.

"We knew he would." Severus said dismissively. "Plus, my cover is still intact. He thinks Dumbledore doesn't trust me."

"Well, my life as a Malfoy is definitely over." Draco muttered. "As soon as he finds out the compass is missing, he will definitely detect mine and Potter's magic on it."

"You're talking as if you were a respected and loved member of the family." Harry snorted.

"It still feels weird." Draco said and closed the subject.

"Well you got us." Sebastian said and clapped his hand over Draco's shoulder.

Severus was watching Harry as the others interacted. He was unsettled by his appearance. He knew Harry wasn't sleeping properly, or eating, for that matter, but his sallow cheeks and haunted eyes showed resignation and that was what scared Severus the most. He vowed to talk to the boy about it later.

Albus and the Snape brothers had decided to not tell Harry about Exponentia Mortuorem until and unless they had a proper solution.

After Albus had spoken to the boys, they were quickly ushered to the quarters by Severus where they ate breakfast and were ordered to rest till lunch.

Draco took Harry's room while Severus guided a tired Harry to his own room.

"You have a very nice room." Harry commented as he got under the covers. "And a very big and comfortable bed."

"Thank you." Severus smirked and sat beside the boy's figure. "You haven't been sleeping properly."

Harry turned his head away.

"Yes." He said softly.

"Nightmares?"

Harry nodded and Severus wordlessly summoned a dreamless sleep potion to hand it to Harry.

"You know you can come to me for anything." He said and took back the empty vial.

"I know, Dad. But I just don't think you can help me with this." He gave him a sad smile and fell asleep.

Severus ran his hand through Harry's hair and for the first time ever, gave into his desire and kissed the boy's forehead.

"We are so close to finding a cure." He whispered in his ear. "And we will find it. I'm not going to let you die."

He slowly shuffled out of the room and went into his lab to brew some potions till the boys woke up. His mind wandered to Draco as he decided to brew Wolfsbane. The boy had clearly formed some kind of connection with Harry and Severus was glad for that. He would need a friend on whom he can rely on, especially now that he had changed sides.

Severus then thought about what Voldemort would say to him when he would call him. He knew the Dark Lord wouldn't be too happy with him. He shuddered slightly at the thought. Pain awaited him right around the corner.

He busied himself with the potion and leaned on the table after an hour to let the potion simmer for a while.

Suddenly, Sebastian burst into his lab. Severus looked at him with mild irritation.

"Albus called." He said heavily.

"What happened?"

Sebastian's eyes met his brother's and Severus felt his chest tighten.

"He got it."

 **A/N: How'd you like the chapter? Draco and Harry's friendship will remain friendship only. I love them as friends. They are opposite and yet so similar.**


	19. Deal with the Dead

**Chapter 19: Deal with the Dead.**

" _Albus called." He said heavily._

" _What happened?"_

 _Sebastian's eyes met his brother's and Severus felt his chest tighten._

 _"He got it."_

 _/_

Harry groaned as his eyes opened with extremely reluctance. His whole body was aching, but he felt better than he had in a few days. He groped around for his glasses before putting them on and sitting up.

He blinked at the new surroundings and realized that he was in Severus' room. He wanted to rummage around the room and see what kind of things his father kept, but his body just wouldn't agree with him. He painfully stood up and made his way to the kitchen. He came to know that it was almost after lunch when he saw Draco sitting at the table, eating. Harry came to a halt beside him and gave him a once over. He gave the blonde an exasperated look when he saw that Draco was dressed in his impeccable robes again with his hair slicked back and his usual expression of aristocracy in place.

"Seriously?" Harry waved a hand towards him as he fell down in the chair adjacent to him.

" _Seriously_?" Draco mimicked and gave Harry's blue lounge pants and gray t-shirt a disgusting look.

Just then Sebastian entered and looked at Draco the same way Harry did.

"Where are you going, Wizengamot? To defend a few high-class elves?" Harry snickered as Draco glared at him.

"How are you both feeling?" He asked as he reheated a plate of food for Harry and set it down in front of him.

"I'm not that hungry, actually." Harry said and pushed it away, but Sebastian pushed it right back.

"You father has given me strict orders to make sure you eat. So, we are not leaving unless you finish that." He gave Harry a quick smile.

Harry looked at him with mild irritation before picking up his fork.

"Where is Severus?" Draco asked.

"He has gone to get a few Potion ingredients from Knockturn Alley." Sebastian said as he leaned back.

"He just went 4 days ago." Harry frowned at him.

"Yeah, he forgot a few things. You know how he is." Sebastian shrugged carelessly.

"No…and as his brother, you should know that Severus _never_ forgets anything." Draco said slowly.

"Okay, I know you're a casual man, but you are way too relaxed today." Harry observed. "What is it? Is it the compass?"

"Wha- No! Stop deducing things." Sebastian said hurriedly. "Nothing is wrong. In fact, we got good news. We will speak with you both as soon as Severus returns, and Harry finishes his meal."

Harry rolled his eyes and poked at his lamb.

Severus retuned half an hour later with all his ingredients in a bag. He looked at the scene in front of him in the living room and raised an eyebrow.

Draco and Harry were engaged in a fierce battle of Wizard Chess and even without studying the moves, Severus could tell that Harry was pathetically losing. He had tried to teach the boy some good tricks over the holidays, but some things are just out of your reach. The boys nodded at him and he shook his head and made his way over to the Kitchen where his brother was looking through some files. He sat in the chair beside him from where he had a clear view of the boys and their game.

"Busy?" Severus asked.

"Yes." Sebastian said without looking up. "Just finalizing a few things before I can permanently move out of the game and collect royalties just by giving out autographs." He said and grinned at the man.

"You are not going to sit on your arse drinking and whoring around for the rest of your life, are you?" Severus asked as he watched Draco smirk and order his chess piece to destroy Harry's Queen.

"Of course not. I got a few things in my mind."

"Such as?" Severus drawled and narrowed his eyes.

"Remember Sarah? I told you about her during Christmas."

"You tell me about a lot of girls. Sarah, Trisha, Carol, Dana, everyone sounds the same." The younger brother rolled his eyes. "But yes, I do remember you prattling about a girl named Sarah."

"Well, she's the one." Severus gave out a bark of laughter and thumped Sebastian on his back.

"If I got one Galleon for every time you said that to me, I would have been twice as rich as we are now." Severus said.

"Come on, I'm serious!" Sebastian said desperately. "She's a great girl, she works for the Wizarding Child Services here in London, we've been seeing each other for a few months and I'm thinking of proposing."

Severus, who had ordered some coffee and was drinking it, spluttered ungracefully after hearing that.

" _Severus_ -you _animal_!" Sebastian cried and quickly took out his files from the wet area.

"Sebastian, I swear to god, if this woman runs around naked in the house like the last one, I will use my bare hands to throw you both out of the manor." Severus threatened as his eyes watered and he produced a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe them.

"She's _different_." Sebastian said and went back to his files.

"Forgive me if I don't take your word for it." Severus said. "When can we meet her?"

Sebastian looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"Soon." He said shortly before looking at the two young boys who were now laughing. "Sev, what's going to happen to Draco?"

Severus sighed and put down his cup.

"Albus wants to put him in the adoption system."

"That's absurd, he turns 17 in a few months. Plus, he a _Malfoy._ " Sebastian argued.

"I know. Which is why he will stay with us." Severus said. "We are his family now."

"We always were."

Just then, Draco and Harry stood up and walked over to them.

"Hey." Harry greeted him and snatched the potions bag that was kept in front of Severus and examined the contents.

"What are these for?" He asked when he noticed all the rare ingredients in the bag.

"We found a way." Severus said and watched as Harry's face morphed into an impassive one.

"Dad-"

"It will work." Severus said firmly.

"Harry, we have been searching for a cure." Sebastian started. "We came close yesterday, and Albus finally did it."

Draco was listening carefully and stole a glance at Harry. The boy was shell shocked. His face was pale, and Draco chalked it up to being happy.

"R-really?" Harry asked in a small voice. "What is it?"

Severus took out a parchment from his robes and slid it towards the boys.

"Exponentia Mortuorem." He said and explained them about what the spell does and how they found it.

"But you said it's weak spell." Harry said. "Taking out a dark power, a Horcrux no less, won't be easy."

"Albus has a spell which can triple its power and that is enough to get it out." Sebastian said.

"If you are talking about _Potentia est Potentia,_ I do hope that you know that it's Dark Arts." Draco stated. "Like, _really_ Dark."

Harry's eyes widened and he looked at Severus.

"It's a-"

Severus put his hand up to stop him. "It has been handled." He said with a small glare towards Draco who shrugged. Harry was the last person on this earth who would use Dark spells. "Albus will get the clearance."

"So you perform this spell and the Horcrux will detach itself from my body and you will capture it to destroy it." Harry summed it up and frowned. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but that sounds…easy."

Sebastian and Severus shared a look.

"There it is…" Draco said as he noticed the ' _look_ _of_ _doom'_.

"What? What is it?" Harry asked them.

"Harry, the Horcrux had attached itself to your Magical Core." Severus said in a soft tone.

"So?" Harry frowned at Draco who was looking at Severus as if the man had lost his mind.

"Oh for God's sake, Potter, do you only pay attention in Defense when it is a practical lesson?" Draco rounded up on him.

"Yeah." Harry said and the other boy rolled his eyes.

"A magical ore can only be accessed when a person is…dead." Sebastian said and waited as silence reigned over them.

Draco suddenly felt quite out of place and shifted in his seat as Harry processed the information.

Sebastian watched with fascination as Harry kept his face expressionless even after such a news. Severus taught his boy well, he thought.

Severus' gaze was fixated on his son. He was the only one who could pick up on the small cues that Harry dropped here and there which signaled that he was losing his mind. For instance, his leg wasn't bouncing.

Harry's leg always bounced.

The boy was a walking breathing ball of nervousness. His breathing was a bit irregular, his eyes didn't hold their normal liveliness, and he wasn't looking at anyone in particular.

"Harry…" Severus started but Harry just calmly stood up. He looked at Severus and turned around to go to his room.

"Think you should leave him alone for a while?" Sebastian asked.

"Not at all." Severus said and followed Harry into his room.

Harry was standing in front of his charmed window. Today, the scene showed a rock formation and a wide stretch of forest. The window was open and the soft breeze blew Harry's hair as he looked out. Severus quietly closed the door behind him and sat on the bed.

"That does not look like England." He said.

"It's not." Harry said. "Harper showed me a few memories this new year, it's Yosemite National Park. It's in America."

"Maybe we can go this summer." Severus said.

"Yeah, maybe. If I'm still alive." Harry chuckled humorlessly.

Severus, in all his dry humor, did not find that funny at all.

"That's a ridiculous assumption, and you know that."

"Are you seriously going to kill me?" Harry asked as he turned around.

"Not kill you. Just stop your heart for a while. It's the only way."

"What if it doesn't work?" Harry asked. "What if I don't wake up? I know I show it as if I am not scared of death, but Dad, I _am_ scared." His voice sounded so young and so innocent.

Severus beckoned him over and made him sit down beside him.

"I won't lie to you, Harry, because there's no point in it. This procedure will be tried out for the first time ever." He looked in his son's green orbs. "We have made changes to it, added a few things along the way, and to be honest, I fear for the worst too."

Harry bit his lip as he listened.

"But Harry, I know this will work." Severus said determinedly. "I _trust_ it to work."

Harry looked at him and sniffed. "I just don't want to lose what I have here. I mean, I knew that I had to die soon, so I made sure I spent time with everyone I ever knew and there's still a few people left. I don't want to hasten the process, Dad."

"If this works, there won't _be_ any process."

Harry sighed and put his head in his hands. "You trust it to work, huh?" He asked after a while.

"I do."

Harry looked up and him and nodded slowly. "Then that's all I need."

Severus gave him one of his rare smiles and ruffled his hair lovingly. "I have protected you, and succeeded in doing so, since the day you and your scrawny behind stepped foot in his castle. I'm not about to fail now."

"Is that your twisted way of saying you will protect me forever?"

"You know I don't use words like normal people." Severus said, his hand still on Harry's neck.

"You mean, normal _humans_."

"You're getting way too cheeky."

"Would you have me any other way?"

"Never."

Harry grinned at him and hesitated a moment before launching himself in his father's arms.

Severus held him close with one hand cradling his head and the other rubbing the boy's back soothingly. No words were exchanged as they sat there until a small knock pulled them apart.

Harry sighed and let go before walking over and opening the door. Sebastian stood there with the bag of ingredients that Severus had brought.

"It's time for the next addition." He said.

"Yes." Severus said and stood up. "Why don't you rest for a while? You look like you need it." He said to Harry who nodded. He was feel a bit odd since he had woken up.

"Where's Draco?"

"He's in our quarter's library, said he wanted to look something up." Sebastian informed him before he and Severus went to the lab together. Harry figured they were making the potion which would kill him. Temporarily, hopefully.

He closed the door and crawled into his bed. He was suddenly feeling extremely cold and it had nothing to with the open window. He sighed and pulled the covers up, hoping he would feel better when he woke up.

/

Draco walked to his uncles' lab after reading a few books on the potion they were making. They were going to stop Potter's heart for a while.

"How long is a while?" He asked as he opened the door.

Severus stopped mid-sentence and Sebastian stopped cutting some gross ingredient that Draco predicted was a rabbit's intestine.

"Excuse me?" Severus asked as he watched the blonde make his way to a chair and sit down.

"You are going to stop his heart for a while. How long is a while?" He asked again.

"Enough for the spell to think that he's dead." Sebastian shrugged and started cutting again.

"But he will be."

"He is not going to die." Severus enunciated.

Draco kept his mouth shut and watched them work. Even with no explicit interest in potions, Sebastian was quite good at what he was doing.

The quiet shush of their voices and the soft bubbling of the potion sent Draco into his own little world. He thought about how Po- _Harry_ had suddenly become a good friend.

Growing up, Draco didn't have any friends. Sure, he had play dates, but they were all for his father's business.

Lucius Malfoy used to be a good father. He used to play with Draco, teach him things, even gave him his first lesson in Quidditch. Even after his mother's complaints, he spoiled Draco to the core. Gave him everything he ever wanted. He taught Draco all the things that a pureblood needed to know, all the things that a _Malfoy_ needed to know, and yet he told his son to have fun.

He had a twisted mind, but he was a good father.

He had once loved Draco.

But then, things had changed. His father became distant and cold. He yelled at Draco for doing things that they both had enjoyed doing. He ignored Draco to the point where the 9-year-old had to sleep in front of his father's office door so that the man would at least _look_ at him.

He didn't love Draco anymore.

That's what had changed the boy. He started taking his father's new personality as some kind of a role model. He started becoming like him and he _had_ become like him.

Until the night when his father had hit his mother. That had broken Draco's core. His role model was shattered and he didn't have anyone to look up to. But his Uncle Severus had come to his rescue. He had showed him what was right and what was wrong. He had been a father to Draco more than Lucius Malfoy had been in the past 8 years.

With Severus came Sebastian. The man's presence itself yelled comfort. Sebastian had been there for Draco when Severus couldn't. He had gathered the weeping boy in his arms night after night, shushing him and telling him that everything was going to be okay.

Draco had finally given up all his resolve the day he and Harry had sat down in on the seventh floor freezing their arses off. The boy had showed him what the meaning of true friendship is. What the meaning of a _brother_ is.

So, whatever happened, Draco selfishly did not want to lose that. He did not want to lose a family again.

"When do we do this?" he asked again suddenly.

"The day after tomorrow." Sebastian replied and leaned behind the counter, watching Severus work.

"Done." Severus commented and extinguished the fire. "We let it cool and then bottle it up."

He looked at Draco and sighed. The boy looked miserable.

"Go wake him up." He said softly.

"You said he needs his rest."

"He slept for two hours. If I let him sleep any more he will stay awake fretting all night."

Draco smirked at him and stood up. He was about to leave when he turned around and looked at the men.

"Thanks." He said. "For everything."

Sebastian winked at him and Severus nodded in acknowledgement.

/

"…Potter!"

Harry jerked awake and looked around, groping for his glasses at the same time. He put them on and saw Draco leaning on the bed post.

"What the hell, Draco?" He said and swung his leg over the edge of the bed. "How long was I asleep?"

"It's 10 in the morning." Draco said casually.

"10 in the morn…but I went to sleep at 4." Harry said confusedly.

"That was yesterday, Potter." Draco fought his laughter at Harry's horrified look.

Harry suddenly narrowed his eyes at him and threw a pillow at the boy's head.

"You're a jerk, you know that?" He grumbled and went to the bathroom as Draco laughed.

"Feel better?" Draco asked him once they were seated on the couch in the living room.

"Absolutely smashing." Harry said mock enthusiasm.

"Ah…" Sebastian sighed as he fell down beside Harry on the sofa. "Sarcasm…Sev give you any of his medicine?"

"That medicine happen to be head slaps?" Harry played along. "Been getting those a lot."

"How good of you both to be bonding over me." Severus said from the armchair. "As much as I love that, I would like to ask if you are ready to do this."

All the mirth left Harry's face and he cleared his throat. "Yes."

"You sure?" Sebastian asked him.

"No. But I want to do it."

He unconsciously rubbed his arms and looked into the grate. Severus instantly caught his actions and his expression turned dark.

"Draco, Sebastian, would you mind giving us a minute?" He said, his eyes never leaving Harry's.

The other two gave each other a look before leaving. Harry watched as Severus stood up and sat down beside him as soon as the other two were out of the room.

"What-" Severus grabbed his arms and pushed up his shirt's sleeves. Red scratches marred the pale skin and Severus' anger increased.

"I can explain." Harry started.

"Oh _please_ do." Severus gritted out. "I really want to know why you are so eager to kill yourself. You know, that's a good thing, now I don't have to worry about you getting angry with me if you don't wake up after the process."

"Dad! It's not-"

"Then what is it, Harry?" Severus increased his voice. "Haven't we talked about this? You were doing so good."

"I know! I'm sorry-"

" _Sorry_ doesn't do it!"

"Will you _listen_ to me?" Harry yelled. "Please."

Severus stared at him for a second before leaving the boy's hands.

"I am sorry about this." Harry said in a normal voice. "I couldn't help myself and I was going to tell you. I swear!" Severus didn't say anything, indication Harry to continue.

"I just feel so…weird that his _soul_ is in my body." Harry's voice broke and he cursed himself for being so weak. "I feel…"

"Dirty." Severus supplied softly.

"Yes." Harry whispered.

Severus rubbed his eyes and leaned back.

"I'm sorry." Harry said again.

Severus nodded. "At least you didn't cut."

"I didn't want to do anything. I just _had_ to do something." Harry admitted. "I feel so stupid." He leaned forward and put his head in his hands.

Severus' hand fell on his back and rubbed small circles. "We will get through this, Harry."

Harry nodded.

"I know." He sniffed and looked at his dad. "What do you say, we let them back in?"

Severus raised his head towards the corridor where Draco and Sebastian had disappeared.

"It's nice to have some time away from Sebastian's whining." He said.

"And Draco's moaning."

They chuckled at each other.

"Well, speak of the devil…" Severus whispered as Sebastian and Draco entered.

"Your secret talk done?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes and we finally reached 100 on the list of ways to kill you." Severus responded seriously. Sebastian just gave him a look before looking at Harry.

"I did something." He said confessionaly.

"God Uncle Sebastian, I don't want to bury another body in your 10 Acres backyard." Draco said.

Harry's eyes widened and he looked at Severus who was still leaning comfortably with his one arm behind Harry's shoulders and other laid out on the opposite side.

"I wouldn't put it past him." He said without opening his eyes.

"It was a _bird_!" Sebastian cried. "You helped me bury a _bird_."

"It was a body." Draco shrugged.

" _You_ killed it while doing some wild Quidditch move!"

"What did you do?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"I remembered about your little crush on Harper…"

"Not a crush." Harry said to Draco who was already smirking.

"…and I contacted her-"

"You did _what?_ " Harry cried.

"-and she has agreed to meet you so that you can tell her that you are not really James Martin, but are Harry Potter."

"Are you listening to this?" Harry asked his father who was paying no attention and was apparently sleeping.

"Come on, Potter! Man-up!" Draco said.

" _Man-Up?"_ Harry asked incredulously.

"I suggest you wear something good tomorrow because you both will be having lunch at Raymond's Café."

" _Tomorrow?"_

"Are you really going to repeat everything we say?" Draco rolled his eyes.

Harry helplessly looked around.

"I-I can't do this." He said softly.

"Yes, you can." Severus said from beside him and patted his back. "Maybe I'll let you go on your little trip to America with her." He whispered in Harry's ear.

Harry blushed hard and closed his eyes.

"Fine." He said. "I'll do it. But I'm going to tell her _everything."_

"Wouldn't expect anything else." Sebastian said swiftly. "Her father, Daniel Wilton, is a good man. You can trust him."

Harry shook his head and rubbed his forehead.

"You dumped this on me." He pointed an accusatory finger towards Sebastian.

"I remembered that you wanted to tell her the truth, and thought that maybe I can give you a late birthday present." Sebastian shrugged.

Harry knew it wasn't a late birthday present. It was more like a bucket list thing. But he indulged Sebastian.

"Presents are supposed to bring happiness, not anxiety." He murmured.

Severus snorted as Sebastian pouted.

/

Harry fidgeted with his shirt's cuffs as he sat in Raymond's Café. He had flooed into Bonnie's Ice Cream parlor to get there. The Manor was locked for a while and Harry had no intention to be alone in the big estate.

He had abandoned his glamor and was sitting in the last booth as Harry Potter. He had worn the glamor when he had entered, but he wanted Harper to meet him as _Harry_.

The bell rung softly and Harper came in. She was looking beautiful. Her brown hair had lengthened. She was wearing light blue jeans and a black coat with yellow sweater.

Harry gulped as she looked around, obviously searching for James Martin. He was glad that there was only one other couple, and they were sitting far away from them.

Harry stood up and walked towards her.

"Harper." He called out.

Her eyes widened as she saw him.

"Aren't you Harry-"

"Potter. Yes." Harry smiled. "Please sit down."

He led her to their table.

"I'm sorry, I'm waiting on a friend-"

"James Martin." Harry nodded as he sat down opposite to him. She frowned at him before realization dawned on her face.

"You… _you?"_ She asked in a hushed whisper.

"Yes."

She looked gob-smacked for a whole minute before gulping down the coffee Harry had ordered for them.

"Well, you got the coffee right, _James Martin_." She commented.

"Look, Harper, I'm really sorry." Harry said sincerely. "I couldn't roam around being Harry Potter. It was too dangerous for me, and for anyone who was seen with me."

"Then why aren't you wearing your snakeskin now?" Harper raised an eyebrow.

"I wanted you to know the truth before I changed back." He said softly.

Harper gazed at him, her blue eyes piercing his soul as she searched for something in him.

"Was James Martin a different person?" She finally asked.

Harry took a few seconds to answer. "He was in Slytherin." He shrugged as Harper huffed out a laugh.

"Real cute." She said.

"I'm really sorry."

She shook her head. "Don't be. I understand."

Harry sighed in relief and took out his wand. "You mind if I…?"

"Oh, go ahead. I don't need the nose-less men wandering in here, in search of you, asking for a coffee too."

Harry laughed and changed into James Martin. Harper watched the transformation with curious eyes and noted that his eyes remained the same.

"You order anything yet? I am starving." She said dramatically.

They ordered their food and talked while waiting.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the term?" Harry asked.

"There was an outbreak of Dragon Pox in our school." Harper rolled her eyes. "So they shut it down for 2 weeks."

"Lucky."

"You wish. We have a butt-load of homework!" She complained. "What about you?"

"I…just came into town to talk to you." Harry told her. "I have to go back."

"Oh." Harper said, a tinge of disappointment lacing her voice.

They sat in silence for a while before she spoke again.

"Why now, Harry?" She asked with a troubled look on her face. "You could have told me about this after the war was done and all. Why now?"

"Because…" Harry twirled the salt shaker in his hands and licked his lips as the waitress brought them their lunch. He continued after she had walked away. "I…don't know if I'll be around to-"

"Shut up." Harper cut him off. "Stop talking like that. You're not going to die."

Harry gave her a small smile. "I hope so."

To his horror, tears built up in Harper's eyes and she bit her lip.

"Hey, listen to me." She said. "I don't care of you are James or Harry; you are _you._ And _you_ are a good person. And you can't hide that under any glamor. And _you_ can defeat him. I believe in you."

Harry looked down and nodded before making eye contact. "Thank you."

"Now eat." She ordered.

"Yes ma'am." Harry grinned at her.

They talked about school and normal stuff as they ate. Harry told her everything about how Snape adopted him. He held off on the Horcruxes till they had left the Café.

"I would really like to meet Hermione." Harper said as they called for the bill.

"Of course."

"How about on your birthday?" She asked and put her money out. Harry shook his head at her.

"I really wanted this to be my treat." He said.

"Not a chance. I am an independent girl and I can pay." She said with a wide smile.

"I never assumed you can't, that's ridiculous." Harry said as he paid for his own food, knowing that arguing with her would be fruitless.

"It's not." She said as they stood up. "You didn't answer my question."

"Yes, of course you can meet them on my birthday." Harry said and held the door open for her to step outside. The sun was warm today, but the weather was still a bit chilly.

"Anywhere we can talk?" He asked her. She turned to him and smiled, and Harry, for the hundredth time that day, was mesmerized by her beauty.

"I know just the place." She said and led him through a few streets. They finally stopped near a small creek and Harper motioned him to sit down beside her under a huge oak tree.

"Look." She pointed to a crooked carving on the tree.

 _SS_

 _LE_

"Severus Snape and Lily Evans." Harry whispered as he touched the wooded area on the tree.

"Yes." Harper said. "Remember how I said that I am a little wary of him?"

Harry nodded.

"Well, I was 8." She switched into the story mode and Harry watched fondly as she tucked her hair behind her ear and sat Indian style. "And I had seen Mr. Snape come over to speak with my dad a lot of times, but I was extremely scared of him. And, to be honest, he wasn't exactly the smile-for-the-little-girl and get-her-a-chocolate type."

Harry laughed. "No, he's not."

"Anyways, once, I was playing around here." She pointed to a clear space a little away from them. It was conveniently hidden behind a few trees. "And I heard rustling. Now, you should know that no one actually comes here. Kids think that this creek has some kind of monster in it, and the adults don't usually bother. So, I was quite content playing all alone. When I heard the rustling, I thought it was my dad, he had forbidden me from playing over here."

 _Typical._ Harry thought with a smile. Harper was never the one for rules.

"So, I sneak around the bushes and I take a peek. I saw Mr. Snape kneeling beside the tree, touching the bark. He stayed here for a while and I stayed hidden until finally, he sighed and said-" She cleared her throat and did her best imitation. "'I know you're hiding in there, Miss. Wilton.'"

Harry almost rolled over on the grass laughing uncontrollably at her rubbish imitation of British accent. Even Harper was grinning madly.

"I stayed hidden, hoping that he would think he was wrong."

"Wrong choice." Harry shook his head.

"I was 8! I didn't know better." She said. "He suddenly stood up, and before I could run away, he grabbed my arms and was looking at me menacingly."

"What did you do?"

"I started to cry!"

Harry started laughing again and Harper smacked him lightly on his stomach.

"I was scared as hell." She said. "He then gave me a long lecture on how I shouldn't wander off so far away from home and then took me home."

"He rat you out?" Harry asked curiously.

"That's the weird part." Harper said. "When my dad asked him where he found me, he said I was playing in the corner of the field beside _my_ house. I never knew why he lied." She said. "Since then, I steered clear of him."

"And yet you came to play here?"

"Of course! It was _my_ spot." She furrowed her brows. "He saw me playing a few times, but he didn't really do anything."

"That doesn't sound like him." Harry said skeptically. Harper just shrugged.

"He is a man of few words." She said. "I don't think he likes me that much."

"That's a stupid assumption." Harry announced.

"Really? I'll be sure to ask him next time he's glaring down at me." Harper rolled her eyes.

Harry took in their surroundings as he sat with her.

"It's beautiful here." He said.

"I know."

"Harper, there's something else that I want to tell you." He said.

"What is it?" She frowned.

Harry took a deep breath and told her about the Horcruxes. Harper took in everything with a stoic face until he came to the part where he was about to be executed. Her eyes teared up for the second time that day, and Harry didn't know why but he really hated to see her crying.

"So…That's why Sebastian called?" She asked softly.

"Yes. He claims it was a late birthday present, but I'm not 5 anymore." Harry snorted.

Harper suddenly threw herself at him and softly cried on his shoulder.

Harry, pretty surprised, pulled her close. She fit perfectly in her arms and he dipped his chin on her shoulder, taking in the comfort.

"You can't die." She said and pulled back, her hands still hung loosely around his shoulders.

"I will try not to."

"If Mr. Snape is confident that this thing will work, then it will." She said.

"I know." Harry said and hugged her again. She laid his head on his shoulder and softly hummed a song. They sat there like that for the next hour, occasionally talking, until Harry had to leave.

They walked together towards Harper's house from where Harry was supposed to go to Hogwarts.

The Wilton's house was a beautiful cottage. It definitely wasn't squeaky clean, but wasn't too messy either. Harry figured that with a 12 year-old-boy, a 16-year-old girl, and a dad who was still in his late thirty's, the house wouldn't exactly be clean cut. A half empty bowl of popcorn sat on the table in front of the TV. The sofa practically looked like a bed with pillows and duvets on it. Harry suddenly felt quite comfortable in the house.

"Where's your brother?" He asked.

Just then, a small boy came down the stairs. He looked a lot like Harper, except he had blonde hair. Like his mother, Harry thought.

He looked at Harry and waved at him.

"I'm Charles."

"Nobody asked." Harper drawled.

"Shut up." Charles said as Harry waved back at him.

"Nice to meet you, Charles." Harry said.

"Dad's out. He'll come any minute now, though." He said before rushing off upstairs.

"Charming." Harry commented and looked at Harper who gave him an exasperated look.

"Can you…take off the glamor for a minute?" She hesitated.

Harry frowned but obliged.

She came closer to him and put her hands on both the sides of his faces before standing on her toes and kissing him softly on his lips.

Harry put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer as he too, kissed back.

She then laid her head on his chest and gulped.

"Stay alive, will you?"

"I will." Harry whispered against her hair. "Tell you what, how about we go to Mt. Rushmore when all of this is over? Isn't that like your dream?"

Harper chuckled against his chest.

"Promise?" She asked.

"Promise." Harry said and they separated. Harry threw some floo powder in the grate and watched as green flames erupted.

"I go back the day after tomorrow." She told him. "How will I know if you are still…"

Harry took out a galleon from his pocket and handed it to her. It was charmed the same way they had charmed the DA's coins in his fifth year.

"Keep it close to you." He said and winked at her before disappearing in the flames.

Harper stood there, tears cascading down her face. The door to their house opened and she looked as her dad entered.

Sebastian had told Daniel all about Harry. Harper had told him about how they had exchanged letters a few times. Daniel was a bit surprised that she had gotten attached to the boy. She wasn't exactly the girl to roam around with friends.

But today, seeing his girl crying like this, saddened him and he opened his arms in a quiet invitation. Harper all but fell forward on him and sobbed her little heart out on her father's chest.

/

Harry sat at his desk in his room, the small table light was giving off a yellow light. Tomorrow, they were going to take out the Horcrux. He wasn't exactly scared, but he wasn't thrilled either. He wondered if any of his skills would be affected due to the removal. Albus didn't think so, so Harry had left it.

He had also told Hermione and Ron about it. Both of them had insisted to be there during the procedure, but Severus had instantly refused their request by a million-dollar glare. Even Draco wasn't allowed.

Ron and Hermione had been quite surprised to find out what Draco had done for them. Ron was still having trouble grasping it, naturally, and Hermione had smiled at the boy and had said 'thank you', accepting him instantly.

Harry sighed as Harper's thoughts flooded into his mind. He smiled to himself as he thought about how happy he had felt when he was with her. He didn't feel like James, or Harry even, he felt _normal._

Draco had mercilessly teased Harry when he had told him about the kiss. The blonde had gone from archenemy to a brother in no time. Harry was glad he had him in his life. Even though Ron and Hermione were his best friends, Draco and him shared a different connection.

He looked at the small clock on his bedside table and noted that it was almost 2 in the morning.

He turned off the light and gently got into bed.

He had that doubted sleep would come easily to him, but as soon as his head hit the pillow, he understood how wrong he was.

/

Harry gripped his father tightly as Severus breathed into his hair. They were ready to do it.

"See you in a while." Severus whispered and kissed Harry's brows before thrusting him towards Sebastian.

Sebastian embraced Harry and clapped his back comfortingly before helping him get on the small cot they had conjured. He handed Harry a potion and the boy drank it, instantly feeling the effects of the Sleeping Draught. Sebastian laid him down and Albus' face came swimming into Harry's drowsy view.

"You ready, my boy?"

Harry nodded sleepily and Albus gave him a twinkling smile before putting a hand over his eyes.

"Relax, Harry."

And Harry drifted into the land of nothingness.

The four of them were in Albus' quarters. The old man had a store room which was usable for their ritual.

The first step was to put Harry to sleep. It would help them stop his heart.

Next, Severus would inject the potion they had created which would stop Harry's heart for approximately 20 minutes.

They had to remove the Horcrux in that time period.

After 20 minutes, Harry's heart would start beating again and he would come back.

Hopefully.

With steady hands, Severus injected the potion and watched as Harry's breathing shallowed at first, before stopping completely.

"Dear Merlin…" He said and took in a shaky breath.

"It's okay, Severus." Sebastian comforted him and pulled him back as Dumbledore got to work.

They watched as Albus chanted and waved his wand in intricate patterns for at least 5 minutes before a golden light engulfed Harry.

A Blue ball of energy slowly rose from Harry's chest. It was bursting with light. It showed just how much powerful Harry's magical core was.  
Sebastian and Severus watched in amazement as Albus expertly controlled the unstable ball, still chanting.

The ball started shaking uncontrollably and a black dot appeared prominently on it. It started to get bigger and bigger with Albus' chants and finally it detached itself from Harry.

Sebastian quickly took out a jar and trapped it inside before firmly closing the lid.

Albus' eyes were still closed when he lowered Harry's magical core into his body again. His wrinkled face was full of sweat and Severus was sure that such kind of magic would definitely exhaust the man's own Magical Core.

As soon as the Core was put into Harry's lifeless body again, Albus stopped his spells and leaned heavily on the table. Severus helped him in a chair and conjured a bottle of water for the man.

"You were great, Albus. Now, rest." Severus said.

The timer read 18:30. They still had a minute and half before Harry should come back.

"He will be fine." Albus said in a raspy voice and patted Severus' hand.

The time beeped at 20 minutes and the three men held their breath as they watched for any signs of life coming from the boy.

2 minutes passed and still no breathing.

"No no no no…" Severus cried and rushed over to his son, shaking him. "Harry! Harry! Wake up!"

His all resolves broke down when his son lay in his arms, as dead as the night.

/

Harry was wandering.

He didn't know where, but he liked the place. It appeared to be a small town. There was a small church and a few shops lined on the streets. The houses had their lights on, and Harry could make out small figures sitting around in them.

It was cold, and all he was wearing were his pair of black trousers and his light blue shirt.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks and his eyes widened as he looked at the house. It was a big house. The lawns were well kept, the bushes were trimmed, there was a small band wagon which was sitting in the corner. But what made Harry stop was the name.

 _Potters_

He instinctively went inside and knocked tentatively on the door.

Where the hell was he?

The door opened and he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"Mum?" He croaked out.

Lily Potter smiled at him and then tsked at him.

"Harry, really, it's almost 10 degrees out there! Are you even wearing an undershirt?" She asked and quickly beckoned the wide eyes boy inside

The warmth hit Harry's skin like a cold water on a hot Indian Summer day.

Lily guided him to a living room where two men sat drinking a bottle of what appeared to be Beer.

"Dad? Sirius?"

James Potter and Sirius Black gave him identical grins.

"Hey son!"

"My pup." Sirius said as Lily pushed him on the sofa opposite to the three of them.

"Wha-What's happening? I'm dead, I know but…" Harry couldn't speak.

"You aren't dead, Harry. You are just…lost." James said.

"Harper is so cute, Harry. I'm so glad you found her." Lily said suddenly.

"What? How did you…" He looked at them confusedly.

"We know everything, Prongslet." Sirius said. "I was a bit angry when Snivellus adopted you, but then I saw him with you, and he was…what was the word, Prongs?"

"Passable?" James raised his eyebrows.

"Oh shut it, you two." Lily rolled her eyes. "Harry, don't listen to them. Severus has been a great father to you and we are glad that you found him."

Harry was still too shocked to say anything, so he just nodded weakly.

"And Sebastian, man I miss that guy! He was everything little Sevvy wasn't, and by that, I mean _fun_." Sirius said.

"How so you know this? Are you guys real?"

James leaned forward. "We are always watching, Harry. Whenever you talk to us, we are always listening. Always keeping a watch over you."

Harry's eyes filled with tears.

"Sebastian never came to wedding." Lily mused from beside James.

"He said he didn't want Severus to feel bad." Harry said.

Lily suddenly seemed sad. "I wish I would have mended the fences with Severus. I regret that every day."

"He does too." Harry said softly.

"Will you tell him that I forgive him? And tell him I'm sorry too?"

"I'm sure he will forgive you." Harry nodded with a smile.

"How's Moony?" James asked.

"He's good. He's coping. We were…devastated after Sirius died. Sirius, I'm so sorry. I should have learned Occlumency properly, I'm so sorry for getting-"

"Don't complete that sentence." Sirius interrupted him. "It wasn't your fault, Harry. I went to the Ministry despite Snape's warning. I was the foolish one."

"No surprise there." James snorted and Sirius glared at him.

"Stop blaming yourself for my death, Harry. There was nothing you could have done to stop it."

Harry nodded tearfully.

"Is this Godric's Hollow?" He asked.

"Yes." Lily said brightly and stood up.

Harry suddenly looked at his hands, they were disappearing.

"Wha- What is happening?" He cried.

"It's time, Harry." James said.

" _Time_? Time for what?"

"For you to go." Sirius answered.

" _NO_! But I don't want to go!" Harry said as his legs started disappearing.

"You have to. It's not your time to die, Harry." Lily told him.

"No, please! _Please_! Let me _stay_!" Harry sobbed as his vision started to blur.

"We will see each other soon, Harry." James' voice rang in his ears before Harry went completely blind. He felt like he was floating.

"Mum! Dad! Sirius! _NO_!" He yelled. All he could feel was nothingness. He couldn't breathe anymore. Panic set in and Harry started flailing his limbs.

Suddenly, voices rushed into his ears and he felt someone's hands grabbing him and shaking him.

He opened his eyes and gasped loudly.

Severus would never forget those 5 minutes and 38 seconds.

They worst the worst 5 minutes and 38 seconds of his life.

"Harry?" He called out softly as Harry's green eyes darted all around the room before settling on him.

They didn't seem to recognize him for a few seconds and Severus feared of Harry had lost his memories. But then, suddenly, the boy clutched his robes and buried his face on his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

Severus sighed in relief and pulled him closer.

Beside them, Sebastian and Albus cheered and clapped each other on their backs for their victory.

Harry, extremely exhausted, fell asleep on his father's shoulder.

"Severus, check his scar." Albus said from behind him.

Severus pulled the boy away from him and supported him while Sebastian checked the boy's forehead.

The usually angry red scar was now a fading pink. Just a normal scar on the skin.

"It's faded." Sebastian announced and grinned.

"Let's get him to his bed. He will sleep for at least a day." Albus said and watched as Severus hauled the boy in his arms.

"Merlin knows he needs it." Severus said and they flooed to their quarters where Harry was tucked in his bed.

Draco, Ron and Hermione rushed inside the quarters as Severus was coming out of Harry's room.

"He's fine." Sebastian assured them. "And yes, we got it."

Draco still went inside the room with the other two following him, seeing for himself that Harry was alright.

"He looks fine." Hermione commented.

"Yes, and he would be snoring like a pig in no time." Draco said, although the relief in those words were evident.

"Bloody hell, he's the boy who lived _twice_ now." Ron said and the three of them chuckled at the horrified expression they knew Harry would wear when he heard it.

Ron and Hermione soon went back to their dorms and Draco sat down with Sebastian.

"Where's Severus?"

"He's teaching." Sebastian said. "Students were deprived of his cruelty for 2 days and he didn't feel good about that. He's catching them up on it."

Draco shook his head in amusement before walking off into the room Severus had created for him.

He went to his desk and took out a Galleon. He rubbed it softly and felt it become warm.

Miles away in America, a girl smiled at the warm Galleon and kissed it softly before putting it back in her pocket.

He was safe.

/

 _Malfoy Manor_

" _CRUCIO!"_

Lucius Malfoy withered in agony as Voldemort sent the 7th crucio towards him.

"I-I'm S-sorry, M-My Lord." He gasped out through pain.

"Your son, your beloved son, has betrayed us, Lucius." Voldemort hissed.

"I di-didn't know anything about i-it, I swear, My Lord."

Lucius crawled over to him and kissed his robes. "My loyalty l-lies with you and only you."

"Good." Voldemort said. "Call everyone."

"My Lord?"

"Harry Potter dies before the end of this week."

Lucius shuddered at the malicious smirk that made its way over Voldemort's face.

"As you wish, My Lord."

 **A/N: Would love to hear your views! Do you all like Harper? It's not like I hate Ginny or anything, but I just felt that maybe Harper was better for Harry.**


	20. Just hold on

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for your reviews and follows.**

 **My grandmother passed away recently. We were extremely close and it came out of no where. She was in good health, and suddenly she was gone. I hadn't seen her in almost a month and it really broke me.**

 **Anyways, sorry for the delay.**

 **This is a small chapter, the next one will be bigger. *wink***

 **Thank you for sticking with the story.**

 **I would like to reply to a review:**

 ** _Kaushiki Lahiri: I am very well aware that Snape's father's name was Tobias and that he was a muggle, but this is a fanfiction, and here, we are free to make any changes we want. We can introduce any characters and change any characters or details as per our wishes. We have the freedom to 'unleash our own imagination' and hence, of course, this story is different than the books. Thank you for reading._**

 **Chapter 20: Just hold on**

Harry grunted as he fell down on the ground once again. His hands were scraped and his left knee was throbbing. His left side was also sore due to the amount of stupefys he had been subjected to.

"Get up!"

His father's sharp voice rang out and Harry's inner fire flared up.

Ever since they had been back at the manor, Severus had been instructing him in Defence everyday. Harry had told him train him like he would train a normal student.

Unfortunately now, Harry was regretting his own words.

He stood up and dusted off his hands before unsteadily holding out his wand.

"I still think you should use the Elder Wand."

Draco's smooth voice came from beside him. Harry panted and looked at him.

"Alright, that's enough for today. You're falling on your feet." Severus said. "I will meet you both in the house." He then walked off after a nod towards Draco.

Harry sighed and holstered his wand before walking over to the blonde who was casually leaning against a huge tree. Harry slid down and sat on the grass with his legs spread in front of him.

"I don't use the Elder Wand because that would be unfair to Severus."

Draco rolled his eyes before looking down at the boy. With a look of disdain, he produced a napkin from his pocket and spread it carefully before sitting down on it.

"Typical Malloy." Harry teased him and Draco just shoved his leg with his own.

"Any plans on how to kill Nagini?" Draco asked.

"No. You got any? Please share with the class."

"He's not going to let her go off alone, especially now that he knows we have destroyed all his other Horcruxes." Draco said.

"He doesn't know that we know Nagini is a Horcrux." Harry said and gently massaged his leg.

"What if he does?"

"Then we will have to devise a solid plan."

They sat there for while before making their way inside. The grounds of the Manor were enormous and Harry made a mental note to go flying.

"I'm going to go take a shower." Harry told Draco and went upstairs. He assessed his injuries and didn't find anything life threatening.

After his shower, he made his way downstairs. His hunger was tearing his stomach, reminding him that it was lunch time.

He suddenly heard voice coming from the living room and noticed that one of the voice was new. He looked inside, careful not to show himself and saw a man in his mid-thirties. He was wearing an open checkered muggle shirt over a white t-shirt and dark blue jeans. In his lap he held a black cap. Harry noticed the man's face next. His jaw line and his hair reminded him of someone, then suddenly the man looked at him and smiled. His eyes…

"Harry Potter, I presume?" His deep voice asked.

 _American. Which means…_

Severus and Sebastian looked back and gestured him to come inside.

"I…uh…didn't mean to interrupt, I just…" he rambled as he stepped inside.

"It's okay, Harry." Sebastian said as Harry stood behind him and the sofa. "Meet Daniel Wilton, he's Harper's father."

Harry gulped and looked at Mr Wilton.

 _His girlfriend's father. Dear lord._

The man had the physique of a wrestler. His muscles arms and chest were prominently showing and Harry was sure the man had six pack with the way he was sitting.

"Nice to meet you…sir." He said.

"So what are your intentions with my daughter?" Daniel asked in a serious tone.

Sebastian coughed a little and tried to hide his snort.

Harry was frozen in fear and even Daniel couldn't stop the laugh that erupted from him.

"It's alright, kid! I was just messing with you." He laughed.

Harry have an awkward smile as Severus smirked at him.

"I will be with Draco." Harry said, ready to get out of there. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Daniel gave him a wink and a small wave as Harry hobbled out of the room.

"His leg okay?" Daniel asked Severus.

"We were duelling, he ducked wrong." Severus shrugged. "I will heal it soon."

"Harper and Charles are still at school?" Sebastian asked him.

Daniel sighed and nodded. "I am unsure what to do. If I call them here, I put their lives in danger. And I am constantly worrying about them while they are away."

Severus regraded him for a moment before leaning forward.

"Harper is an extraordinary witch." He said. "She can help you here. You can keep Charles with some of your trusted people in the States. Keep him where you know he will be safe." He suggested.

Daniel thought for a moment. "Harper wants to fight. She sends me letters, asking me to call her back. But I just don't want to lose her."

"She will be fine, Danny." Sebastian said comfortingly.

Daniel ran a hand through his hair and nodded his head.

"When I was serving for the American Ministry, I had a partner. He lives in Hawaii. I trust him with my life. He has twin boys, same age as Charles. I'll send him there."

Severus nodded at him. "Good choice."

Daniel stood up and put on his cap. "I'll see you around, then." He said as they moved towards the door.

"Take care, Danny boy." Sebastian said as he hugged the man.

"You call me that again, and you'll be taking care of your blue balls." Daniel said and clapped the man on his shoulder as Sebastian winced.

"All the best." Severus said as he shook hands with him.

"To you too. You got a great boy there. Just know that we stand behind you, whatever happens. If you need anything, just ask." Daniel smiled and put on his sunglasses.

"Thank you, Daniel." Severus patted the man on his arm and watched him go.

"I want one." Sebastian said from beside him as he watched Daniel get on his motorcycle and ride away.

"Absolutely not." Severus announced and went inside.

/

"Severus tells me you've improved greatly in defence." Albus said that evening. He had come to visit the Snape's and ask about Harry's progress.

"So he says." Harry said and sipped his tea.

"He is one of the best duellers I know, Harry. If he says you've improved, it's a huge compliment."

Harry nodded at the man and unconsciously rubbed his leg. Severus had healed it, but it was still sore.

' _Magic is not an absolute cure, Harry._ ' He had said.

"Sir, Nagini is the only Horcrux left. She never leaves Voldemort." Harry stated.

Dumbledore nodded his head. "That is true. The only way to kill Nagini is during the war."

"And when will it take place?"

"I wouldn't know, my boy."

Harry sighed and slumped back. "This has gone on long enough, Headmaster. I need a way to end it. I need to live my life as well. I can't keep living in the shadows, hiding everyday, being the saviour of this goddamn world."

Albus' face turned sad and he looked a bit sorry. Harry instantly regretted his words and bit his lips.

"I-I am sorry, sir, I-I didn't mean it that way-"

"No, no, Harry, I get it. You are after all a 16-year-old boy." Albus said. He finished his tea and stood up. Harry followed suit.

Albus our a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

"I promise you Harry, that I will do whatever I can to end this for you and get you a life that you deserve." He said and smiled softly.

"I know you will, sir." Harry said truthfully. Dumbledore never went back on his word. He left soon after that and Harry wandered over to the potions lab which was Severus' lair. Draco would also sit there sometimes, just observing his godfather, or sometimes helping him make the potions.

Just as Harry had predicted, Draco was sitting on a stool, discussing something with Sebastian while Severus brewed Wolfsbane for Remus.

"What did he say?" Draco asked as soon as he spotted Harry.

Harry shrugged and dragged a stool beside him before depositing himself on it.

"The same." He told them.

Severus watched as Harry massaged his leg and levitated a potion towards him.

"For your leg." He said as Harry thanked him and drank it.

Harry was becoming more and more depressed as the days went by. The threat of Voldemort looming over his head was too much for him sometimes, and knowing that he was just one step away from killing that bastard did not help him.

He trained vigorously with Severus and sometimes Sebastian. Draco joined them as well, trying to brush up on his techniques.

"When the time comes, along with the Order, who else will fight?" Draco asked out of no where.

"There are many witches and wizards who are on the light side but not a part of the Order." Severus said. "So, when the time comes, they will fight with us."

"What if Voldemort never attacks?" Harry asked. "What if he decides that he doesn't want to fight?"

"Harry, Voldemort may be a lot of things but coward is not one of them." Sebastian said. "He won't stay quiet. He will fight. And soon. People like him need to feel in control, they need the power. Without that, they cannot survive."

Harry sighed and nodded his head.

He took out his elder wand and twirled it in his hands. He hadn't fired one spell with it.

To be honest, he was scared of its power. He was scared of what he would become if he knew its power.

"Show off." Draco snorted from beside him. Harry chuckled and put it away.

"Dinner is not for a while. Someone was supposed to bring groceries, and forgot." Severus gave Sebastian a pointed look.

"Well, that _someone_ was busy." Sebastian said in his defence.

"Doing what? Feeding his girlfriend by his hand." Severus muttered.

" _What_!?"

"A _girlfriend_?"

" _SEVERUS_!"

Severus just smirked as the boys grilled his younger brother.

"Uncle Seb, you _player_!" Draco grinned.

"When do we meet her?" Harry asked.

"Did you _really_ have to?" Sebastian asked Severus.

"They had to know someday." Severus shrugged and add his ingredients. "Might as well be today."

Sebastian sighed and looked at his ' _nephews_ '.

They were looking at him expectantly. Harry had seemed to have temporarily forgotten about his fate, and Draco had finally given up his Malfoy reinforced formal behaviour and was excited like a normal 16-year-old.

"Soon." He said and heard their groans. "I know, I know, but she is not in England right now. You will meet her. Patience, you dolts."

/

Voldemort smiled evilly as his army of almost 100 death eaters assembled in the huge hall of Malfoy Manor.

He stood in front of the group and all the chatter instantly died down.

"My dear fellows…" he addressed them. "The time has come. The time to kill Harry Potter and give this world the kind of leader it needs. Harry Potter is a hindrance in this process. He has hurt me numerous times. But now, he won't." He said and watched as Nagini slithered over to him.

"The Order, shall be destroyed!" He said and cheers rang out in the halls.

"Whatever you do, you do not touch Harry Potter. He is mine." He said with clenched teeth.

"We attack Diagon Alley tomorrow." He said and disappeared.

The Death Eaters started disapparating all around the manor.

/

Severus recalled everything he had heard at the Manor to the Order. Harry and his friends were allowed to sit in on it as well. The meeting's turnout was good. Almost 70 people. Harry looked around as he sat between Ron and Hermione. He didn't even know most of these people and yet they were willing to fight for him.

"Tomorrow?" Molly Weasley squeaked.

"Yes." Severus said and made eye contact with Dumbledore before looking at Harry who was staring at a spot on the wall.

"Harry?" Lupin called out. When Harry didn't answer, he looked at Severus for help.

"Harry?" Severus said a bit loudly and Harry jumped.

"Yes? Sorry, I was…" he cleared his throat. "Tomorrow. Yes." He nodded his head.

Dumbledore made arrangements for the Order members to vacate Diagon Alley tomorrow.

"We cannot keep it closed. He will never attack if we do that. He wants massive casualties. But we won't let it come to that. Remus, Tonks, Fred and George, I want you to get the people out of there without any harm. I will create 4 direct doorways to Hogwarts. I want Bill, Fleur, Ron and Hermione to serve as backup for them. The Death Eaters will try to attack as many people as possible." A few more arrangements were made and finally, the meeting concluded at 10 in the evening.

"All the best for tomorrow. I will make sure all you return home to your families at night." Albus said watched the people leave, except the inner circle.

Molly made tea for everyone as they sat around the fireplace.

"This is it." Remus said. "It all ends tomorrow."

Albus nodded.

"Harry, are you alright?" Sebastian asked as he saw the teenager lean forward and rest his elbows on his knees.

"I've been waiting for this since 6 years." He said. "He needs to pay for what he has done, for destroying so many lives."

"And he will." Albus stated firmly.

"He will." Harry repeated.

"Severus, What will you do tomorrow?" Arthur asked.

"I will join forces with the Dark Lord and help people escape." He said. "The Death Eaters are merciless, I can save a few lives. Although, if I do hurt any of you, I apologise in advance. It won't be my intention."

Everyone waved him off and told him to be careful.

The talks went on for about another hour before Harry excused himself to go to the kitchen. He was filling his glass with water when Albus entered behind him.

"Are you afraid to use it, Harry?"

Harry didn't turn but kept sipping his water.

"Yes." He said finally and turned.

"Why?"

"I'm afraid it I get the taste of pure power, I'll…"

"Be like him?" Albus supplied.

Harry closed his eyes sighed.

"In my fifth year, I saw everything he saw, I felt everything he felt, I almost did everything he did."

"But you didn't." Albus said. "It was the Horcrux inside you. See, Harry? In the end, it was him who did it even though it was from your body. You are not him, and you will never be him. Elder Wand is safe in your hands. You are worthy of it. You will succeed tomorrow. I am ready to bet all my money on it."

Harry looked at him and smiled.

"Thank you, Headmaster." He said. "I really needed that."

"Anything, my boy."

Harry took out the Wand and looked at it.

"I carry it with me always." He said.

Albus put his tea cup on the table and stepped back.

"Refill my tea, Harry." He said.

Harry looked at him before gripping the Wand properly. The energy that surged through him was as powerful as Merlin himself. He gave a small flick of the Wand and Dumbledore's tea cup exploded in a million little shards.

Albus chuckled.

"A bit out of control, but I think that's for the best considering who we will be fighting tomorrow." He said.

Harry grinned.

"Use it, Harry. And use it well." He said.

"I will, sir."

"Oh, and I almost forgot." Albus rummaged through his pockets before producing a small golden-

"A snitch?" Harry asked as he took the offered object.

"I've been meaning to give this to you." Albus smiled. "It's the first snitch you ever caught."

Harry ran his hands over the inscription.

 _I open at the close._

"What does it mean?" He asked.

"You'll figure it out." Albus gave a small happy laugh before turning in his heels and leaving.

Harry read the inscription again before shrugging and putting the object in his pocket.

Dumbledore did weird things at weird times.

Harry went out in the Living room and sat down in his seat, watching the people around him.

The people who had always had his back. His friends, the Wesleys, Remus, Tonks, and of course, McGonagall.

Then there was his dad and Sebastian, Dumbledore, and now, even Draco. These people had helped him the most in the past few weeks. They had seen him at his worst and best and yet never left him.

Tomorrow, he had a chance to repay them all back. A chance to eliminate the only thing that plagued the lives of millions of people.

"You ready for tomorrow, Harry?" Severus asked from across him.

All the eyes landed on him and he leaned back and surveyed them.

"As I'll ever be." He said.

Tomorrow, Tom Riddle dies.

 **A/N: Let me know what you all think!**


	21. Greet death with a warm embrace

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I am so late at updating this story. I had tests and all and finally I am done with school. For atleast a while, lol.**

 **I am currently travelling, so I might not be able to update the next chapter soon, but stay tuned!**

 **Thank you for all your love for this story!**

 **Chapter 21- Greet Death with a warm embrace**

It was 1 in the morning when Draco found Harry laying on his bed with his Elder Wand by his side, playing with his new found snitch.

Draco knocked softly and watched as Harry engulfed the snitch in his wrist before nodding to the blonde.

"This is quite a room." Draco said as he went through the open balcony and into the cool fresh air of the night.

"Yours was the same, at Malfoy Manor." Harry replied as he continued playing with his snitch.

"Mine was not quite…appealing, I must say." Draco sighed and took a seat in the chair by the desk. "What does the snitch do?"

Harry caught it and sent it towards Malfoy.

"No idea. It has a weird engraving on it. It's the first snitch I ever caught."

"Oh yes, I remember you _belching_ it out. _I open at the close._ " Draco read. "Quite contradictory, wouldn't you say?"

Harry shrugged. "Can I ask you something?"

"No, I have no intentions of stealing Harper from you. She is beautiful, mind you, but she's yours." Draco rolled his eyes as he said it.

"That was…thoughtful of you." Harry frowned. "But that was not what I intended to ask."

"Oh." Draco blinked.

"What will you do when you face your father tomorrow?" Harry asked and looked at the other boy.

"I don't know." Draco said finally. "Sebastian helped me put in the papers for magical emancipation a few days ago. I'll be 17 this coming June, but it's still a month away."

"When will it be official?"

"I have a pretty strong case. So soon, I presume."

Harry sat up a bit straight and that's when Draco noticed a parchment sitting beside him. He had seen one too many of such documents to not notice that it was an official document of the Ministry of Magic.

"What's that?" He asked.

Harry looked at his side and took the parchment in his hands.

"A name changing document. Dumbledore gave it to us the day dad adopted me." Harry explained, passing it over to Draco for him to read.

"It's blank." Draco noticed. "Uncle Severus has signed it."

"Yes." Harry sighed. "He says he's fine with whatever name I choose. Even if it means that I keep my own name."

"Do you, want to keep your existing name?" Draco asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Potter will always be in my blood. But Severus has shown me kindness that no one else has ever. He's my father too." Harry said. "I want to change my name, but I'm not sure to what."

"Do you have anything in mind?"

"Edmund James Snape." Harry said after a moment of hesitation.

"Wow. How'd you know about the good old Edmund?" Draco said casually as he passed the paper back to Harry.

Harry knitted his eyebrows as he looked at Draco.

"What do you mean?"

Draco gave him a surprised look. "You don't know about Sir Edmund?"

Harry shook his head.

"Then how'd you come across the name?"

"Someone suggested it to me." Harry said as he remembered Harper's words.

"Interesting." Draco narrowed his eyes.

"Who was Sir Edmund?"

"Severus and Sebastian's godfather." Draco said. "Severus never talks about him. Sebastian told me about him when I was 11 and was really nervous to go to Hogwarts."

"Godfather?"

"Yes. Alan Snape's best friend. His full name was Sir Edmund House. Sebastian said he was like a second father to him and Uncle Severus. He used to work for the Ministry, I don't know his position, but that's how he got his title." Draco shrugged. "Uncle Severus was really attached to him."

"What happened to him?" Harry asked.

"Killed when Severus was 16."

"Voldemort." Harry gritted out.

"Precisely." Draco said. "I'm curious though, who suggested it?"

"Harper. When I was posing as James Martin, she told me that ' _James_ ' felt too old for me. I asked her what should my name be, according to her, and she said _Edmund_." Harry said with a small smile.

"She read you quite correctly." Draco nodded. "A keeper. I wouldn't botch it up."

Harry rolled his eyes. "So, do you think Severus will mind if I take that name?"

"You didn't even know about him. And it's a legal name, you will only use that when you sign any legal documents. You will still be addressed as Harry Potter. I'm afraid you can't afford to lose that name." Draco told him. "Plus, it's not associated to a bad person. Sir Edmund was really fond of his god children. I don't think Severus will think anything of it."

Harry but his lip and looked at the paper in his hands. He stood up and went to his desk beside Draco.

"Before I lose my nerves." He stated and wrote his new name and signed it.

Harry chuckled and hit Draco's head with the rolled parchment as the other boy clapped his hands in mock appreciation.

Draco then stood up in front of Harry and gave him a small rare smile.

"Tomorrow, when I fight, you have my word that I will fight for the Light till the end of my breath." Draco said.

Harry looked at him oddly.

"Draco…what are you doing?" He said. "Don't say things like that."

"It's the final battle. We may, or may not meet again tomorrow night." He said stoically and offered his hand.

Harry looked into Draco's grey eyes and then at the hand.

Without any hesitation, he pulled the boy in a brotherly hug.

Draco stood quite shocked at first, but then slowly patted Harry on his back.

"Thank you for everything, Draco." Harry said sincerely.

"I dearly hope that I be there when you rejoice your victory, Edmund James Snape."

"You will." Harry said before grinning. "Has quite a ring to it, doesn't it?"

"Ring of a milkman's bicycle." Draco snorted and slipped out of the room before Harry could throw his quill at him.

When Draco left Harry looked at the parchment again before smiling to himself.

He made his way to Severus room and knocked to the door. He could see the small light coming from under the door and knew that he was up.

The door opened instantly and Severus stood in his black slacks and his white shirt. Although, this time, his shirt was untucked and his sleeves were rolled to his elbows. The first two buttons of his shirt were also open.

"Harry." He gestured for his son to come inside. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Who can?" Harry said and flopped on his father's bed. "I…got something for you."

Severus frowned and sat beside him. He slowly took the offered rolled parchment and opened it.

Harry could instantly see his expression changing as he read it.

"I…um…wanted to do it before tomorrow." Harry gulped. "In case I…"

"You're not going anywhere, _Edmund_." The firm dialogue eased Harry's mind a bit.

"So I take it, you approve?"

"I do." Severus said and smiled at him.

"Draco told me about Sir Edmund. I didn't know about him when I chose the name. But, I'm glad I did."

"Oh he was a fighter, my godfather. Didn't give up till the last minute. And how he loved his horses…" Severus shook his head in fond memories. "He kept fighting even when there were 10 death eaters against him."

"Why'd they attack him?" Harry asked.

"He was trying to save a small 5 year old girl from their horrendous activities."

"Did he save her?"

"Gave her his portkey." Severus nodded. "She was whisked away while he fought."

Harry bit his lip. "I will carry it with honor, dad."

"I'm sure you will." Severus smiled and ruffled his hair.

"I will do alright tomorrow, won't I?" Harry asked in a small voice.

"Have no doubt of it." Severus said firmly and pulled the boy to his chest.

"I am so very proud of you, Harry." A small tear escaped Harry's eyes and he buried his head in his father's chest.

"Thank you, Dad."

They sat there for a minute before Harry pulled away.

"It was nice of you to invite the Wiltons for dinner." He said.

"Yes, well, Danny is a rather good friend of mine." Severus said. "It's always a pleasure to see him beat Sebastian's arse at arm wrestling."

"Yeah, what is it about them and arm wrestling?" .

"A few years ago, Sebastian and Danny got drunk in a pub and they started a brawl. With each other." Severus chuckled. "And to resolve that small dispute, they thought that arm wrestling would be an appropriate judgment maker."

"Who won?" Harry asked.

"No one. The pub owner called me before things got out of hand, and I broke them up. Hence, they arm wrestle all the time, trying to figure out who would have won."

"That's ridiculous." Harry laughed.

"Ah well, fond memories." Severus said with a wistful look.

"I should go." Harry stood up.

"You should get some sleep." Severus told him. "Else you'll be exhausted tomorrow."

"I'll try." Harry nodded. "Good night, Dad."

It was only after he stepped in his own room did Harry realised that it was probably the last time he said Good night to his father.

His heart clenched at the thought and he immediately sat down. His eyes roamed around the room, taking everything in.

' _Stop it, Harry_!' he chided himself. ' _Everything will be fine_.'

He laid down on the bed, still in his day clothes.

If everyone says he can win, then he can.

' _Maybe I will take that vacation in the States after all._ '

He closed his eyes, and weirdly, he wasn't interrupted by nightmares.

/

The hustle and bustle of the Diagon Alley hadn't toned down a bit since Harry last visited before his school year. He, Ron and Hermione were currently in a safe room in Ollivander's where Harry stood pacing from wall to wall while Ron and Hermione conversed in the background.

Severus has already left for Malfoy Manor, Sebastian and Draco were with Dumbledore and the others, while Remus, Tonks, Fred and George were disguised and were roaming on the streets of Diagon Alley.

"Mate, will you calm your nerves?" Ron asked from behind him.

Harry hand a hand through his hair and sighed before sitting down in an arm chair across the two.

"Do you have both your wands, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I do." He nodded.

"What if Malfoy changes side at the exact moment?" Ron asked. Harry gave him a small glare as Hermione rolled her eyes.

"He won't, Ronald." Hermione said.

"Trust him, Ron. And I swear, if he defects, I'll take the blame." Harry said.

Before Ron could say anything, a Phoenix glided into the room.

"It's started." Dumbledore's voice boomed out of it.

Harry, who had stood up with Ron and Hermione behind him, flicked his fist and his wand fell into his hand.

His usual innocent green eyes hardened at the message and his jaw rigidly set in place.

He turned and looked at his two best friends.

"Don't do anything foolish." He said.

"I should say that to you." Hermione said and hugged him fiercely. "Stay safe."

"You too."

Hardy nodded at Ron. They friendship had evolved to the point where they communicated the necessary things silently.

"See you tonight." Harry said and they left the room.

The room was actually quite silent. As soon as the three stepped out, the screaming and crying filled their ears, as if they had just come out from under water.

Harry nodded at the two before going off to the right while the other two ran out to help their designated persons.

"Harry! Harry!" Harry turned his head and saw Ginny, fighting with atleast three death eaters. Her potential had grown since Harry's lessons in his fifth year.

He ran to her and started helping her.

" _Stupefy_!"

He watched one death eater fall to his knees and quickly cast an incarceration charm, binding him and banishing him to the Ministry, as instructed by Dumbledore.

As soon as all the three were gone, Ginny leaned against the nearest wall.

"How are you so…" She panted. "Not exhausted?"

"It's just starting, Ginny." Harry threw her a smile before moving forward.

Which was once a sunny bright day, had now turned dark and gloomy. Grey clouds looked over head and the Dark Mark was sailing morbidly over Gringotts.

Harry observed the scene before him.

Fred and George were helping people get out from the Alley through a huge portal, all the while fighting off a ghee death eaters.

Remus and Tonks were doing the same from the other side, and so were Neville and Moody, and Ron and Hermione.

A sharp sting to his left side brought Harry out of his trans.

" _Don't lose yourself in your head, we're in the middle of a battle!_ "

Harry looked to his left and saw a Death Eater looking at him pensively.

" _Sorry, Dad._ " He communicated sheepishly.

He quickly threw a mild Petrificus Totalus at him, which he knew Severus could deflect with his eyes closed, and ran off.

/

Draco was scared.

In his life, he had never been scared. Overwhelmed, repulsed, surprised, yes. But scared? Like the scared he was now?

Never.

He saw Sebastian talking to someone from the Order beside him and quickly wiped his face with his sleeve.

Dumbledore had given him and Sebastian the task of finding Nagini. Draco would never admit it, but he was a bit glad that he did not have to fight the death eaters like other.

Even though he had spouted the nonsense of ' _being fine',_ he was shit scared to see his father.

"Draco, let's go."

Draco followed Sebastian out of the small shop that they were holed up in and into the streets of what used to be a happy cheery Diagon Alley.

He saw people fighting everywhere.

Aside from the order members, many civilians had also taken out their wands and were helping the Order. The Giants were swinging their weapons left and right, not caring who or what they destroyed.

Draco suddenly felt a surge of adrenaline course through him as he stealthily ran behind Sebastian.

"We will have to help these people before we get the snake." Sebastian said as he cast a few spells, in order to bound a Death Eater. "You know what to do if you see her." Sebastian nodded at the boy.

"I'll see you around, then." Draco said and ran off.

He saw Harry fighting a small round and decided that the raven haired had it under control before looking to his right.

He heard a small girl cry out and saw a mother holding her daughter, begging the masked man to spare them in a small mew.

Draco instantly recognised the masked man as Alastair Carrow.

"Leave them be." He commanded and stood at the side wit his wand drawn.

Carrow looked at him and his grin widened.

"Ahh…if it isn't the small Malfoy traitor." He hissed.

Draco gestured the woman and her daughter to go.

"You're making a big mistake, boy." Carrow said as he threw a crucio at Draco, whose agility served him greatly and he moved away from the line of fire.

"You are the one making a mistake, Carrow." Draco snarled and threw a curse at the man. They duelled for a whole minute before Draco got the upper hand and bound and gagged the man to his knees.

"You will never win." Draco said to him before hitting him with one more curse which knocked Carrow unconscious and sending him out.

He took a deep breath and ran out of the small alley, and into the streets.

A dark chill suddenly descended on them and Draco had to grab a wall to prevent himself from crashing down.

The fighting stopped for a moment as the unmistakable voice of Voldemort filled the air.

" _Tsk tsk tsk…such a pity, losing all of this precious magical blood. If Harry Potter comes to me willingly, I will spare everyone. The choice is up to you, Harry Potter. You know how to find me._ "

The chill disappeared and the people on the streets started looking at Harry. Some Death Eaters were laughing and some mothers holding their children were looking at Harry as if he should go and sacrifice himself.

Draco closed his eyes before opening them and walking towards the boy he had started to see as his brother ever since the day they had sat on the seventh floor window sill talking the whole night long.

Harry gave him a surprised look before his features morphed into a small look of pride and joy as Draco came to stand beside him.

"I did not befriend you just for you to go and kill yourself, Potter." He said softly and took a stance beside Harry as the Death Eaters created a huge circle around them.

Soon Ginny, Neville, Ron and Hermione joined them, standing back to back.

Harry's old black Wand vibrated with power in his hand, while the Elder Wand which was stored away in his arm emitted warmth.

" _Sectumsempra_!" He yelled, and that was all the cue the others needed as they too started fighting.

"Is the Alley clear of all the civilians?" Harry yelled at Hermione as they fought almost 30 Death Eaters rounding up on them.

"No! There are still a lot of people." She yelled back.

"Damn it." Harry muttered and groaned as a spell hit him in his already injured abdomen.

By the time most of the Death Eaters in the circle were defeated by the 17 year olds, they all were pretty banged up as well.

Harry had two gashes on his forehead, one of which was bleeding profusely. His back hurt along with his right side and left thigh. He was pretty sure his ribs were bruised as well.

Draco and Hermione sported a few bruises on their faces and Hermione's left ankle was definitely broken.

Ginny had fallen unconscious and Neville had taken her out of the circle. Ron was lying on the floor with Hermione trying to stop the bleeding from his stomach.

"Draco, go find the snake." Harry said as he looked at the blonde.

"You sure you'll be fine?" Draco asked.

"I will. I need you to kill the snake before I get to Voldemort." Harry said softly.

Draco's eyes widened. "You are considering actually going to him? Are you insane?"

"I have to." Harry gulped. "Look around, Draco. Innocent people have lost their lives trying to help me. People who are not even in the Order. I don't want more people to lose their family over me."

"And what about _your_ family? What happens to them when they lose _you_." Draco gritted out, anger evident in his voice.

"They won't. Trust me." Harry said with determination. "Find Nagini." He said and gave Draco a small push before running off to help some other people.

"Always want to play hero. Bloody Gryffindork." Draco muttered darkly before trying to find Sebastian.

His view was suddenly blocked by a death eater in polished silver mask.

The long blonde hair could be identified anywhere. Draco's pale face paled even more and he took a painful gulp.

"Father." He spat out.

"Draco." Lucius Malfoy said. "You are such a disgrace to the Malfoy family, Draco."

"I better be a disgrace than join you in worshipping that evil twat." Draco said.

"You still have the chance to join us, Draco. We can tell the Lord that you were spying like Snape. He will reduce your punishment."

"I'll join that bastard again over my dead body." Draco snarled as he took a duelling stance.

"You are making a mistake, boy."

"I've heard that one before." Draco said. "Didn't care then, and am not about to bloody care now."

A low growl escaped Lucius' throat as he sent a Crucio in his son's direction.

Draco easily dodged it and sent one of his own curses. The dance continued until Draco's barrier broke and he was hit by a Crucio. He withered in pain as his own father stood above him, laughing.

Suddenly, the curse was lifted off and Draco groaned as he looked beside him.

His father lay opposite to him, his wand out of his reach, unconscious.

He clutched his arm and looked behind him, only to see another Death Eater.

"Mother." He whispered.

Narcissa Malfoy took of her mask and kneeled beside him. Her eyes were glistening with tears.

"You did the right thing." She said in his ear and kissed his cheek before standing up and gliding away, leaving the boy sitting shell shocked.

"Draco! Get up, mate!"

Draco snapped out of his state and rolled away just in time as a giant swung his bat and destroyed the building near him.

Ron ran towards him and grabbed his arm before dragging him to a shelter.

"You alright?" He asked, real concern in his blue eyes.

"I-I'm fine. Thank you, Weasley."

"Anytime, Malfoy."

Draco huffed our a laugh. "I don't think I'm a Malfoy anymore."

"Oh yeah, I saw that tense family reunion. You guys really do love each other." Ron smirked as he handed Draco his wand.

With Ron's help, Draco stood up and looked at his father. The man looked dead except for the small rise and fall in his chest. The debris of the building covered his legs and his face was paler than his hair.

Draco quickly incarcerated him before nodding at Ron and hobbling to find Nagini. He found Sebastian who looked like he had defeated a giant mountain troll.

"She's with Him, I guess." Draco said. "I couldn't find her."

"Me neither." Sebastian panted. "You see Harry?"

Draco's eyes turned dark. "He was planning on going to Voldemort."

Sebastian closed his eyes and sighed in resignation.

"He will only listen to Severus."

"Did you see him?" Draco asked.

"I saw him helping a few people down the Alley." Sebastian replied.

"What do we do about Nagini?"

"We wait." Sebastian said.

/

The Alley was a mess by the time the darkness had took over. Ollivander's was destroyed, Madame Malkin was crying on the steps of her burnt shop, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes was blown up, Flourish and Blotts has collapsed, Eeylop's Owl Emporium was a mess with its birds flown away and a few were lying dead.

Gringotts was the only building standing tall.

The Goblins were kind enough to let the Order and a few more people to take refuge over there.

McGonagall, Flitwick, Slughorn, and the Weasley's had cast protection spells and were now healing injured people with the help from Madame Pomphrey.

Harry was the last one to walk through the doors of Gringotts. Having spoken with Severus just 10 minutes ago in an abandoned shop, he had made his way all over the Alley, or what was left of it, looking for survivors.

Severus had informed him that the Death Eaters were being called at the Malfoy Manor. Harry had told him to be careful before parting. He has also expressly told Harry to not do anything ridiculously heroic. Harry had just smiled and nodded at that.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. Harry stopped dead in his tracks. Hermione's face was red, not with blood, but due to crying. Her eyes were puffy and there was a hint of sadness in them.

She ran over to him and hugged him tightly. Harry closed his eyes and pulled her back, holding her shoulders.

"Who?" His voice cracked as he asked.

Hermione bit her lip before answering. "Remus."

A feeling Harry was too familiar, with but still wasn't used to it filled him as he fell down to his knees.

He felt a few people crowding him but he didn't pay any attention to them.

"Oh merlin." He whispered as his body felt rigid.

 _Remus_.

The man who had taught him how to conjure a Patronus, the man who was his last link to his father, the man who was as close to him as any uncle would ever be, had left him. Just like Sirius.

"Move!" A voice boomed over everyone and the people parted. Hermione, who was kneeling beside him stood up and stepped back as Sebastian sat down on his knees before Harry.

"Harry, son, look at me."

Harry was oblivious to the command and the pain he was feeling due to his physical injuries. His eyes were fixed on the floor.

Sebastian put his arm around him and helped him stand up. He quickly guided him to a corner and put up a privacy shield around them, making them invisible to the others.

"Harry, it's just us now. It's okay."

That's when Harry looked up. The concern in Sebastian eyes reminded him of Remus when he had woken up on the train after the dementor attack almost three years ago.

"Remus…" He said and his dam broke. Tears spilled out of his eyes as he cried for everyone who had lost their lives that day.

Sebastian pulled the boy to him and let him cry it out.

The boy had fought valiantly today. But in the end, he was just 16.

"I want to see him." Harry sniffed and pulled back.

"Come."

They broke out of the shield and walked towards the end of the room where the Weasley's were sitting.

Molly stood up to hug him but Sebastian stopped her with a gesture.

"Oh Moony…" Harry said as he saw the man, peacefully lying beside Nymphadora Tonks' corpse.

With shaking hands he held Remus' cold fingers to his chest.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry."

He sat there for almost 15 minutes before the chatter in the Hall drew his attention.

Dumbledore had arrived.

The old man ignored everyone's calls and walked straight over to Harry.

His eyes were sad as he saw Remus and Tonks and he muttered a soft spell. The bodies were suddenly clean and all the blood was washed away.

"Harry, we need to talk." Albus said. Harry nodded and kissed Remus' hand before reluctantly leaving.

He was now feeling the stings and pains of his injuries, but he occluded his pain as he followed Dumbledore to a small room.

"He didn't come." Harry said. "I told you he won't come."

"Harry…"

"He has Nagini, Professor! Without killing her, we can't kill him!" Harry cried.

"He will come."

Harry searched his Headmaster's eyes and narrowed his own.

"You know where he is." He stated.

"I-"

"Don't lie." Harry hissed. "Where is he?"

Albus sighed.

"He's here, isn't he? He's nearby but he didn't come out." Harry read the man.

"Yes."

"Where?"

"He's alone. No one knows where."

Harry nodded. His vision was swimming for to the head wound but he didn't care.

Albus whispered a spell and waved his wand over him. His wounds healed themselves and his vision was corrected.

"You will still need to be looked at by a healer." Albus said and took something out of his robes and handed it to him.

"Just in case." He said and walked out of the room.

The silver flowing material of Harry's invisibility cloak felt soft on his hands.

He was alone in the room now. A sudden cold had him drape the cloak over him.

He needed to find Voldemort.

He sat down in the middle of the room and decided to do something that Severus would have been proud of and also angry about. He had read it in of the Occlumency books Severus had given him.

The author had explained how he could make his mind feel all the energies around him, positive and negative. He could literally let his mind wander out of his body and search for a specific person near him.

Severus had absolutely forbidden him to do it, but Harry had practised it before bed every night, Mastering it in just a few weeks.

He needed to get into Voldemort's head. If he was near, he could do it easily.

Harry meditated for a minute before getting lost in his mind.

He could feel the various energies of people all around him. As soon as his mind exited Gringotts, a feeling of doom filled over him.

Darkness enveloped his mind but he broke through it. He entered the surprisingly clean Knockturn Alley and that's when he felt it.

Voldemort's energy.

It was similar to his own when he still had the Horcrux inside him.

 _Borgin and Burke's._

Harry's eyes opened and his usually light emerald eyes were now pitch black. His own Magical core was growing and filling up with energy.

He stood up and draped the cloak all over himself. He pocketed his old wand and took out the Elder Wand, feeling it's strong pull.

He walked out of the room watching as people cried and healed. They of course, didn't notice him. But just as he was exiting the room, he felt a gaze on his back. He turned around and saw Dumbledore watching him. His blue stare was sadder than ever.

" _All the best, my boy_."

Harry jumped out of his skin and breathed heavily as he looked at the man. But Albus was not looking at him now. He was helping an old man and his grand daughter.

Harry quickly walked out and made his way towards Knockturn Alley.

A weight in his pocket distracted his determined walk and he suddenly stopped at the gates of of the Alley.

He put his hand in his pocket and took out the snitch Albus and given him. He had probably forgotten to take it out when he wore the same trousers today.

The inscription taunted Harry once more and he scratched his head with the wand, thinking of what it might be.

 _I open at the close._

 _"This is the first snitch I every caught."_

 _"Oh yes, I remember you_ belching _it out."_

"Belching…." Harry said to himself before hesitantly bringing the snitch to his mouth. He softly kissed it and yelped as the snitch opened.

"The resurrection stone." Harry half laugh and half cried. "Dumbledore really is a sly fool."

He caught the stone in his hand and for a second the wind around him stopped. He opened his eyes and gasped.

Lily, James, Remus and Sirius stood in front of him.

Smiling at him.

"Mum, Dad…" he smiled tearfully.

"Harry, you've been so brave." Lily said.

"You've made us proud, my son." James grinned at him.

"Even though you accepted Severus as your father." Sirius piped up from beside him.

"He's changed, Padfoot. I've seen it." Remus said and smiled at Harry.

"Moony, I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault, Harry. I knew the consequences when I took part in the war. Just do me a favour and kill that bastard."

"You are the best Godson anyone could ever ask for, Prongslet." Sirius said.

"I love you guys." Harry said as a tear slipped out of his eye. "Will I see you again?"

"Preferably when you're 200 years old." James commented as the other chuckled.

"We are with you, Harry." Lily said. "Always."

"Always…" Harry repeated as the figures faded into the air.

He suddenly felt a gist of warm air enter his body as he walked towards Borgin and Burke's.

Little did he know that a certain blonde haired boy behind him had seen everything.

/

Draco knew Harry planned to go to Voldemort. After seeing the boy break down in front of everyone over Remus' death, Draco was sure that Harry would seek the noseless bastard with more vigour.

Hence, he waited. He waited outside Gringotts behind a pillar, looking for any sign of Harry.

He got his reward when he heard shuffling on the steps.

He smirked as he remembered Severus chiding Harry about being stealthy.

So much for that.

Harry took off his invisible cloak and took out his snitch.

Draco watched the whole ordeal with wide eyes.

His heart beat loudly as he suddenly realised that Harry was the Master of Death.

He had all the Hallows with him.

He followed Harry slowly as the Chosen One made his way to the Knockturn Alley.

Harry was conflicted. He wanted Severus with him right now. He wanted his dad.

He wasn't sure if what he was doing was right.

Maybe it was. He was doing good. He was trying to kill the man who had plagued the Wizarding World for decades now.

He took a deep breath and crossed the threshold to Knockturn Alley.

Borgin and Burke's was the 8th shop on his right. He stood in front of the ratty old building and closed his eyes.

"Merlin help me now." He muttered and pushed open the door that led into the shop.

 **A/N: Alright, so I'm not too good at writing fight scenes, but hope I kept you all hooked.**


	22. Rollercoaster

**A/N: Heeelllo! Thanks for all the love for the previous chapter, here's a new one! I am sad and happy to tell you guys that this story is coming to an end, probably two more chapters left.**

 **Recently, there have been two deaths in my family, and it has kind of rattled me. I had left writing for a while and had no intention of continuing this story, but thanks to my father, who urged me to write down my feelings and continue my work, I decided that abandoning this story was not the right decision.**

 **Hey Kaushiki Lahiri, no hard feelings. Glad you are still reading the story. Thanks for the love! 3**

 **Chapter 22: Rollercoaster**

The door squeezed open and Harry entered the dusty shop. It was dark. The only light was coming through the door's glass from the outside street lamp. The soft light highlighted the counter top as Harry sneaked under his invisibility cloak.

Harry carefully avoided a small broken bell on the floor and made his way further into the shop.

The air was stagnant. There was no sound of life.

The smell of death hung in the air with an amalgamation of smoke and blood.

Harry controlled his breathing and tightly gripped his Elder Wand.

Inside the shop, a corridor led to a grey door. His hair rose up as he wondered what lay beyond it.

He gathered all his courage before slowly walking towards the door and opened it with shaky hands.

It creaked with every move and Harry cringed at the noise. Finally, when it opened fully, Harry expected to see Voldemort standing inside, or even some kind of monster.

But the room was vacant.

Suddenly a thud sounded from behind him and a scream made Harry run out the shop.

He stopped outside the shop in the eerie alley, listening to any signs of shouts.

One more scream tore out in the silent night and Harry ran towards the sound.

In a distance, Harry could see two figures. One was on the ground, and the other was-

"Stop it, Tom." Harry yelled with authority.

Voldemort stopped torturing the poor soul and looked up. His snake-like face split into a low grin and his malicious red eyes locked on Harry's.

"Harry Potter." He rasped out.

"You called, I'm here, Tom. Let him go."

Voldemort snarled at Harry before his face split into an evil grin. He looked at the person lying below him and gave his wand a flick.

Harry disguised his whole reaction as Draco Malfoy was fling into the air and thrown across the alley behind Harry.

His eyes remained impassive as he held his ground with Elder Wand by his side.

"I see Dumbledore gave you a small gift." Voldemort hissed quietly.

"Apparently, I was the only deserving candidate." Harry shrugged and waved the wand.

"It should belong to me." Voldemort thundered.

"I don't know if you know your history, but the Peverell brothers were kind of my ancestors."

"You don't deserve the Hallows."

Harry didn't say anything as he stared at the man-snake.

"What do you want, Tom?" Harry asked finally. "Destruction? For what? You want to rule the world? But you kill all the people, who will you rule?"

"You will never understand what I want!" Voldemort yelled. Nagini suddenly slithered out from behind him and hissed loudly at Harry.

" _Your dinner awaits you in the alley behind the Half-Blood."_ Voldemort said in Parseltongue.

"Don't do this, Tom." Harry said as he understood all the words perfectly. Nagini shot out of the dark and before Harry could even anticipate her next move, she was slithering behind him towards where Draco was.

"You killed my souls, now I will kill yours." With that Tom sent a bolt of green light towards Harry.

Harry easily dodged it by running behind a broken wall. He gripped his wand in his fist and ran out of his cover, shooting all kinds of spells Severus had taught him.

"Impressive, Harry. Non-verbal spells." Voldemort said as the excitement in his eyes went up. "A worthy opponent, I see."

They duelled back and forth until Harry's shield cracked and he endured a Crucio.

His standing fell as he was kept under the curse for at least 3 minutes.

He was on his back when he finally realised that the spell was lifted. He panted in exhaustion and pain while Voldemort chuckled above him.

"You played well. I'll give you that." Voldemort said as he slowly glided towards Harry.

Harry tried to move but his body was too heavy for him at that moment. He willed himself to get up-

" _Crucio!"_

Harry rolled out of the firing range and continued to do so as Voldemort sent spells after spells against him. Until, he hit a wall.

His hands and elbows were scraped. His pants were torn and his shirt was as filthy as his Cupboard under the stairs.

"No where to run, Potter." Voldemort grinned. He raised his hand and Harry doubled over in pain as his whole body felt like it was being squeezed through a small keyhole.

"You think I didn't know? About you and Severus? You think I'm a fool?" Voldemort yelled as he increased his power. "I know everything!"

Harry gasped as the pain suddenly lessened. "How did you know?" He rasped.

"Severus was always skilled in Legilimency. Better than me. You know why that was?" He took Harry's chin in his hands and gripped him tightly.

"Because he had no emotions. Then, he adopted you. His shields fell today." Voldemort laughed at Harry's horrified look.

"He doesn't know that you know." Harry stated in quiet horror.

"My loyal followers have decided to play a little game with him back at Malfoy Manor." A proud smirk appeared on his face.

"No." Harry's voice quivered.

"Oh yes. One against ten. What are the odds of that?"

"He will destroy them." Harry said determinedly.

"Not a chance, Little Harry." Voldemort said and showed his teeth before letting Harry fall down in the ground in a heap.

"Enough chi- chat. Your time is up." Voldemort said. "Don't worry, you will see your parents and your _new dad_ along with that traitor Malfoy in just a few minutes.

Harry's hope diminished as he heard him.

 _Severus was being tortured, or maybe dead._

His hands shook as he watched his enemy raise his wand.

"Goodbye, Harry Potter." Voldemort said.

Harry gulped and closed his eyes, ready for death.

" _What is Death but the next great adventure?"_

He remembered Dumbledore's words from his first year.

" _Avada-"_

Maybe he and his dad can play quidditch up there. If Severus ever forgave him, he can play too.

" _Keda-"_

More than the unfinished curse, a small grunt made Harry open his eyes. He looked above him and saw Voldemort gasping for breath.

 _What?_

Harry looked to his right and saw a blonde boy hobbling towards him. His one pant leg was completely covered in blood. In one hand, he held his wand while in the other, he had the Sword of Gryffindor.

"What are you waiting for, Potter? An invitation to kill him?"

Harry grinned as he looked at Draco.

"You killed her?" He asked.

"Later, Potter. Get that bastard first."

Harry looked at Voldemort was now kneeling with a hand on his chest.

"Draco." He called out suddenly. "I need you to run to Gringotts and tell Dumbledore and Sebastian that Severus is in Malfoy Manor. And they know." He said with an understanding nod.

"Well, Potter, running is a bit out of question but I'll try my best." Draco said as he showed him his leg.

"You did good, Draco." Draco nodded at him before going off without a look at Voldemort.

Harry winced as he moved. His side throbbed and his whole body had given up on him.

Voldemort was still gasping.

"He killed…Nagini." He said in a snake like voice. His head still bent on his chest.

"Yes." Harry said as he gathered himself. His right hand groped around for his wand and held it tightly, while his left hand felt a soft material, like liquid.

"I will end you. End you all." Voldemort kept muttering. A scuffle made him look up and he gaped at the sight.

"No." Voldemort whispered.

Harry was floating in the air. In one hand he held the invisibility cloak and the resurrection stone, in the other, the Elder Wand. His eyes were golden and his skin was emitting a light of some sorts.

Voldemort could actually see his nerves through the light. Harry had become the Master of Death.

"It's over, Tom." Harry's voice was bolder and deeper than usual.

"No. NO!" Voldemort kept yelling.

Harry pointed his wand towards him as Voldemort too, raised his own.

" _Avada Kedavra!"_

" _Experillarmus!"_

The green and golden light merged in the middle, creating an extremely powerful energy.

Harry's strength had multiplied 10 times, he realised. They kept at it for a few moments before Harry saw the first signs of victory.

Voldemort's wand now supported glowing cracks in it. His red eyes were fully focused on Harry's.

With renewed confidence, Harry put in more energy and so did Voldemort.

The ball of energy was now now steadily moving towards Voldemort.

"Goodbye, Tom." Harry said and with a scream, he exhausted his whole energy and watched as Voldmeort's wand cracked and fell apart.

The ball exploded on Voldemort and the earth started shaking.

Harry was on the ground now, panting with exhaustion.

He could see small pieces of ash colored flesh floating in the air as the night became silent again.

It was over.

Voldemort was dead.

Harry sobbed out a laugh before looking around.

No one was nearby. Good.

He slowly laid himself down, his body was totally spent out. His arms and legs hurt and his chest painfully throbbed.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking.

Harry looked up in alarm, but there was nothing.

The small shops beside him were dangerously swaying.

A shop to his left collapsed and Harry shot up to his feet.

"What..." he struggled to make sense of the happenings.

His road to Gringotts was blocked by debris now. All his windows of escape were disappearing when suddenly he realised that he had one more way to get to safety.

He ran towards what looked like a sturdy wall and leaned on it, preventing himself from falling.

With a shaky hand, he pulled out the necklace Severus had given him for Christmas.

" _Just say 'Lily' and it will transport you back to your room at the Manor."_

"Lily." Harry breathed out and tightly held the pendant. He felt himself being thrown in the air and braced for impact.

As soon as his body hit the floor, his mind stopped working.

All he could see was a blurry version of Sebastian and Dumbledore entering his room.

Someone tapped his cheek a few times, called his name, but all Harry wanted to do was sleep. But before that…

"Sev'us." He mumbled. "Sev'us."

"…Harry! Open your eyes!... Severus is fine … 'Arry!"

That was all Harry needed to hear. With a small smile, he closed his eyes.

/

"His breathing is shallow, Albus!" Sebastian said in alarm as he put a hand to Harry's neck.

"We need to get him to St. Mungo's, now!" Albus said as Sebastian carried Harry's small form in his arms.

After a small message to Draco to tell Severus where they were, the two of them flooed to St. Mungo's.

"I need to see Healer Jacoby." Albus told the receptionist. "I have a patient who needs urgent care."

"Sir, I am sorry, I cannot-" the nurse started.

"It's Harry Potter." Sebastian said.

The nurse's eyes widened as she saw Harry and she quickly directed them to a small room.

"You can lay him down here." She said. "I'll get Healer Jacoby." With that, she went away.

Sebastian slowly laid Harry down on the bed.

"You think he did it?" He asked Albus.

"The whole world awaits the answer." Albus smiled.

"We need to let Severus know. He will kill me if I don't tell him."

"Severus needs his rest, Sebastian." Albus said. "I have sent Poppy a patronus. She will let him know when he wakes up."

The door opened and Healer Jacoby burst in.

"Albus! What happened?" He said as he instantly started working on Harry.

"Long story short, he fought Voldemort."

Frank Jacoby paled in shock for a second before continuing his examination.

"Dear lord, his magical core is completely damaged." He muttered.

Sebastian and Albus stood back as he started to mend Harry's bruises.

After about 15 minutes, he turned around.

"He's fine, right?" Sebastian asked.

"Follow me." Frank said and led them out of the room. He called over a nurse to him gave her instructions on which potion to give to Harry.

"Also, give him a sponge bath." He added and took Sebastian and Albus to his office.

"I believe Severus doesn't know?" He said.

"No." Sebastian said.

"As I stated before, his magical core is damaged. It's not the result of duelling." He said. Even Sebastian looked confused. Both of them them looked at Albus who was suddenly smiling widely.

"He figured it out." Albus said.

"What? Figured what out?" Sebastian asked.

"Remember when he portkeyed to the house, he had his Elder wand, his invisibility cloak and his-"

"-snitch with him. I myself took those items and put them on his bed. What does that have to do with this?"

"My dear boy, that snitch was not some ordinary snitch. It contained the resurrection stone."

Both the young men gasped at him.

"Are you saying…?"

"…Harry was the Master of Death?" Sebastian said in a high-pitched voice.

"I think we got your answer." Albus chuckled.

"So, Voldemort's gone?" Frank asked.

"There is no doubt of it." Albus said.

"That explains his injuries." Frank said. "If his core doesn't start to replenish itself in a few hours, I'm afraid he is going to need a Magic transfer."

"A Magic Transfer?"

"Like muggles have blood groups, we have Core groups. There are 4 types of groups. Harry's is the extremely rare one."

"What now? Test mine!" Sebastian said and put forth his hand.

Frank smiled at him. "We already have a match. The man who adopted him."

Sebastian sighed in relief. "Thank Merlin, Sev."

Albus turned a concerned stare towards Frank. "Is he well enough to donate?"

Frank nodded his head.

"His injuries definitely hindered his magic for a while, but I believe he will be fine now."

"Well, let's go and see him then." Sebastian said.

"I will wait here with Harry." Albus announced.

The trio set out and while Albus sat with Harry, Sebastian and Frank went to Hogwarts to get Severus.

/

Severus was not having a good day. After speaking to Harry in an abandoned alley, he was told to report at Malfoy Manor where all the Death eaters were assembled.

Theodore Nott had hissed the Dark Lord's message to him.

He knew.

The bastard knew about the adoption.

Severus' immediate concern had went to Harry, and he thanked all godsthat he had firmly told the boy to stay inside Gringotts.

But his heart shattered when he heard one of the Death Eaters taunt him by saying that Harry will probably see him up there as Voldemort will definitely kill him.

He endured a lot of torture before finding an opportunity to escape.

Dumbledore had always insisted that he keep a portkey if such a thing ever happened.

It had transported him directly into Hogwarts and the Aurors were soon on their way to capture the remaining Death Eaters.

But Severus' mind only wanted to see Harry. When he heard that Harry had escaped Gringotts, he had become so hysterical that Sebastian had to hold him while Madame Pomfery put a sleeping spell on him.

Right now, Severus was trying to tie up his shoes in the most ridiculous way possible. His back was littered with bruises and bending was a bit difficult. And his wand… Where in the whole hell was his wand?

"You know, if you had asked, Dad would have taught you how to tie your own laces."

Severus looked up as Sebastian sauntered inside his bedroom in his quarters while Frank followed closely.

"Where's Harry?" He asked.

"Asleep. In St Mungo's." Sebastian replied as he bent down to help his brother.

"Thank you." Severus said and sat up.

"How are you feeling, Severus?" Frank asked as he ran a diagnostic on him.

"I'm fine. Take me to Harry. What happened? Where is Voldemort?" A thousand questions were running in Severus' head right now and he needed the answer then and then only.

"Severus, calm down." Sebastian said as he stood up. "Is he well enough to go?"

"Yes, he is." Frank nodded and Severus immediately stood up. He regretted it as soon as his back flared up in pain.

"Take it slowly, Severus." Sebastian chided.

"Answer my questions."

"All in good time. Just come with us right now." His brother said as they walked to the floo.

They flooed to the bustling waiting room of St. Mungo's and immediately made their way over to the private rooms.

Albus was sitting in a chair beside Harry. His wild wrinkled hands had engulfed Harry's.

Severus immediately went over to him and sat down on the other side.

"Oh Harry." He said as he ran a hand through his son's hair.

Harry's face was as white as a ghost. His lips were pale and his scar was reddish blue. His body was littered with small scrapes and bruises and Severus couldn't see anything extremely life threatening on the outside.

"Why is he still sleeping?" Severus asked.

Frank was recording some reading with his wand when Severus asked him.

"Harry's Magical Core is damaged, Severus." Frank said. "I thought it will try to mend itself but the quantity is extremely low. I am afraid he needs a Magic Transfer."

"My group matches his. Take mine." Severus said instantly.

"I know. And I will." Frank said and went out to make a few arrangements for the transfer.

"You sure you feel alright, Sev?" Sebastian asked worriedly. Severus was staring at Harry with a morose look on his face.

"Did he kill him?" The man asked Albus

"He did." Albus nodded. "With all the three Hallows."

Severus' eyes widened before a proud look took over his face.

"Where is Draco?" Albus asked.

"He's at the Hospital wing at Hogwarts."

"There is so much to this story that we don't know." Sebastian said.

"Harry will tell us everything. And even Draco." Severus said.

The door opened and Frank entered with a nurse and an extra cot.

"Lay down, Severus." He said.

Severus took off his robe and laid down in his dark navy blue collared T-shirt and grey dress pants which Sebastian had brought for him in the infirmary.

"I will first make a cut on your arm and then on Harry's. As soon as the blood mixes, I will start the actual process. I'm not going to lie, it will be painful for you, Severus. Harry won't feel a thing, and even if he does, it will be less in magnitude than what you would feel." Frank said as he swabbed Severus' wrist.

"Just do it." Severus said as he looked at Harry's sleeping form.

"I will now numb the area." Frank said after a few seconds. He looked at Sebastian and Albus before nodding at them. The duo was standing behind him. There was no way they were going to leave Harry and Severus alone.

The nurse applied a numbing solution to Severus hand and Frank prodded it a bit.

"Do you feel anything?" He asked.

"No." Severus' eyes were closed now, and his other hand was made into a tight fist.

"Okay Severus, I'm starting."

Frank carefully made a gash on Severus wrist and then quickly on Harry's.

Sebastian gulped as blood started pouring out everywhere.

Frank had not joined their hands and was chanting something in Latin.

Severus tightly pressed his hand over Harry's in a vain attempt to stop his pain. His heart was thudding loudly and his whole body felt drained. His was aching and Frank was still chanting.

He could feel a tunnel forming in his wrist. His heart was being squeezed and his chest felt like someone was cutting it.

Finally, after a minute, Frank stopped and pulled their wrists apart.

Severus gasped loudly. His pain couldn't be muffled anymore and he cried out softly.

"I'm healing you now, Severus." Frank quickly healed the gash and spelled a pain relief in Severus' stomach. The man's exhausted body couldn't take it anymore, and the Potions Master fell asleep.

Frank was now expectantly looking at Harry's vitals.

"Did it work?" Sebastian asked as he sat down beside his brother's sleeping form.

Frank didn't answer, he just kept frowning at the small machine connected to Harry's heart.

"Frank?" Sebastian tried again. Albus kept looking at the machine in anticipation as well. Waiting for it to just beep and tell them that Harry was now safe.

"Frank, it's not working." Sebastian said with worry and impatience lacing his voice.

Frank's face hardened as the numbers remained constant.

"Frank, why is it not working goddamnit?" Sebastian said loudly.

Albus put up a hand in his direction, hoping to calm the man down.

"I swear to god, Frank, if you do not answer me this second, I will-"

Just as he was about to complete his threat, a small beep sounded in the room. It was followed by one more, then one more.

Sebastian felt as if his heart relaxed with each beep as he saw the numbers going up.

"It's replenished." Frank said quietly after about 5 minutes.

Albus sat down in the nearby chair, and Sebastian closed his eyes and gripped Severus' shoulder.

In that moment, the Earth was right on its axis.

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed it!**


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